Physician Reputation Clean Up

I saw this post on Reddit that I found interesting:

Apparently, said doctor worked at a bad practice which harmed their reputation. They’ve moved on but the reviews have stuck with them. Now they want to remove these negative reviews (Narrator: That’s probably not going to happen). I think it’s important for the reader to realize that not all reviews are deserved–positive or negative. And even when they are deserved, it’s fine for a company or practitioner to make improvements then to seek to improve their review profile.

Why can’t the doctor just get the bad reviews removed?

This has been tried so many times through threats and lawsuits. Time and again we’ve learned it’s not worth it. Users aren’t going to take the reviews down. Review sites also don’t take them down. In some cases you can get reviews removed if you can prove that they violate the review site’s guidelines. For example, I’ve had plenty of Google and Yelp reviews removed for redundancy, coming from an ex-employee, etc. but you have to be able to prove it which is not possible in many cases. And some review sites won’t do a thing anyway.

Yes, it is possible to clean this up and you can do it fast. Here is my approach:

1. Set up a Google Maps profile

Why? Because of Google’s self-preferencing algorithm, they will move your Google Maps profile to the top, higher than Healthgrades, et al. Other sites can do this for you but Google Maps is the easiest and most certain. If you can get Google Maps to 5 stars quickly, it can lessen the negative impact of that Healthgrades 1- or 2-star listing down the page.

Note that you could also probably get other personal profiles such as Linkedin and Yelp ranking above Healthgrades without too much effort.

2. Print up review cards to hand out

What you need is a business card that you can hand out to happy patients. This card should have a QR code on it making it easy for people to leave a review. I would print out a few different versions to cover all the review sites. Or you can just print one version and print different QR code stickers that you can slap on the back of the cards. A third option is to go with one QR code but have the link go to a free Linktree profile that has all your review links on it.

Then, every time someone says they really appreciate you and what you did for them, try to commit them to leaving a review. Then hand them the card. It’s important to get the commitment out of them if you can because that will make them much more inclined to follow through after they walk out. You can put your name, credentials and contact info on one side, and the QR code + leave a review language on the reverse.

3. Prioritize easy wins

First, get reviews on Google, then try for sites that have fewer reviews you have to dilute out. Maybe you can leave Healthgrades untouched for a while but focus on getting 4- and 5-star ratings on Google, Vitals, WebMD, etc. Once your Google search profile is mostly 4- and 5-star then you can start the longer job of cleaning up Healthgrades and other sites that may have a large number of negative reviews.

4. Mix it up

It’s important to have fresh reviews on all of these sites. Change which site you’re getting reviews on frequently with an emphasis on (1) easy wins (meaning it doesn’t take very many reviews to turn it around), and (2) sites that are higher on Google when someone searches for your name.

High-quality service is the best way to a good reputation

In this case, the doctor seems to have left a bad practice and the reviews followed them. But generally speaking, you should clean up your reputation by improving your service. For a doctor, much of the experience comes from people’s interactions with the front desk and other staff. This is a good opportunity to improve all of that.

Last thought: maybe you’re worried about the wrong things

If you are a specialty provider, keep in mind that referrals drive the majority of your business. If you can get in and do lunch for some primary care providers in your area (best to focus on the independents), then you can build a pretty good business even without a website. I’d first focus on making sure the referral funnel is working, then look at addressing the review problem over time.

Reach out

If you need help with your digital marketing or reputation management, reach out via phone (1-800-405-6817) or email. We’d be glad to talk!