Healthcare Reputation Management: Importance, Tips & Best Practices

Did you know that the healthcare industry is on track to be worth $665.37 billion by 2028? If you are interested in starting your own healthcare practice, you are in good company.

While some might argue that the industry is too saturated to start your own practice and that providing the best care possible does not guarantee success, we believe that with the right approach to healthcare reputation management, you can have your practice fully booked for months.

With healthcare reputation management, you can improve your practice’s online reputation. This involves generating awareness about your services, enhancing patient satisfaction, and reflecting that satisfaction in patient reviews.

Simply put, healthcare reputation management is the process of managing your practice’s online presence in a way that will keep your phone ringing more often and your calendar busier than ever.

What is Healthcare Reputation Management?

Just like any other business, healthcare practices need to work on how the world sees them. A business’s reputation is best reflected in its online presence and ‘patients’ reviews](https://www.demandhub.co/articles/get-patient-reviews/){:target=”_blank”}.

In order to grow your business, you want word to spread, but with a little more consideration about what exactly is being said. Healthcare reputation management will help you manage the way patients talk about your practice, and in doing so, influence how potential patients see your practice.

For healthcare practices, it is absolutely crucial that they take a proactive approach to review management. Whether it is generating reviews, responding to them, or managing negative feedback, having a review management strategy is a great way to stay ahead of your competition.

It is important to note that the goal is not to avoid negative reviews, but to have enough positive ones to mitigate the impact. Responding to a negative review with an empathetic and patient-centric tone can also do wonders for your online reputation.

Healthcare reputation management requires that you curate an online presence on review management platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Healthgrades. This way, you can engage with patients on these platforms directly.

We understand that this might be a lot for a healthcare practice to manage, and that is where DemandHub comes in. As a specialized review management software, the tool consolidates all patient interactions, so that you and your team can oversee and manage everything from one inbox.

Why Online Reputation Management is Important for Healthcare and Medical Practices?

It is very important for healthcare providers to maintain a positive online reputation because it allows them to attract new patients and maintain long-term relationships with their existing ones. People are very serious about their healthcare, and so it is likely that a patient would check out a practice’s online reviews before making an appointment.

In fact, about 40% of patients are not willing to book an appointment with a healthcare provider that has poor online reviews. If you want to grow your practice, you will need to ensure that your patients are happy and only have good things to say because it directly impacts whether or not a new patient will want to visit.

There are many factors that play a part in building an online reputation. For starters, the number of positive online reviews is an important consideration. On average, a patient will go through 10+ reviews to determine if they can trust your practice.

But what matters even more than online reviews is referrals from close friends and family. That is the beauty of building a relationship with your patients. They become a mouthpiece for your practice, and you never have to worry about getting new patients again.

It is important to note that there are many healthcare practices out there, and in order to stand out from the crowd, you need to incorporate healthcare marketing strategies. Highlighting your wins can make your practice a better choice for potential patients. And nothing says “win” like a heartfelt testimonial from a patient whose trust you’ve rightfully earned.

Benefits of Reputation Management

Here are some reasons why online reputation management is essential for growing your healthcare business.

• Identify areas of improvement:

One of the perks of reading your reviews is tapping into what your patients need from you. Reputation management can give healthcare practices the edge they need over their competition by identifying areas of improvement straight from the source.

• Boost patient satisfaction and trust:

Working on your brand’s online reputation goes hand in hand with boosting patient satisfaction. After all, it is the happy and satisfied patient who will rave about you in the comments.

Another perk of improving patient satisfaction is that they talk about their experiences with friends and family, making your practice the one they will trust over any other.

• Attracts new patients:

If you want to grow your practice, it is absolutely essential to have a Google Business page with reviews. You can also go ahead and respond to all the reviews thoughtfully, even the negative ones.

When you respond to reviews in a timely and thoughtful manner, you are showing potential patients that your practice is not only legitimate; it is run by professionals who actually care for their patients.

And that is what makes you a catch!

• Improves patient retention:

Healthcare is a competitive industry, and all successful practices are run by people who know that retaining patients is just as important as attracting new ones. This is because existing patients portray a positive image of your practice.

And if you want your patients to sing your praises, you need to make sure that they are taken care of.

• Enhances credibility:

Healthcare reputation management can elevate your practice’s credibility, allowing you to attract more patients and gain more recognition for the quality of your services. Not only is this ideal for revenue generation, promoting a positive image is also a great way to attract networking opportunities, build partnerships, and collaborations.

8 Best Practices For Medical Professionals For Effective Healthcare Reputation Management

• Claim your profile on popular healthcare review sites.

• Monitor online reviews and ratings.

• Claim your Google Business profile to boost visibility.

• Respond to negative reviews professionally.

• Use social media for your healthcare reputation management.

• Encourage positive reviews by using QR codes in review requests.

• Build a strong website.

• Incorporate a healthcare reputation management platform.

1. Claim your profile on popular Healthcare Review sites

Start by listing your healthcare practice on healthcare review websites so that your existing patients know where to leave a review, and potential patients can learn about your services.

Some popular review sites are:

• Doctor.com

• Yelp

• Healthgrades

• RateMDs

• CareDash

If your practice is already listed, make sure to update your information so that it is accurate and current for when potential patients want to make an appointment.

2. Monitor Online Reviews and Ratings

It is important to monitor reviews and ratings to ensure that you are engaging with your patients. Responding to reviews promptly is a great practice for increasing engagement and has been shown to increase revenue as well.

3. Claim your Google Business Profile to boost visibility

Google Business Profile (formerly known as the Google My Business profile) is a free tool available to businesses that helps them build a strong presence online. By integrating with Google Maps and the search engines, you can increase the number of online visitors and foot traffic for your business.

Creating a GMB profile that stands out is simple. Here are some steps to help you optimize your profile for success.

• Select a category that fits your practice, such as “Sports Physiotherapy” or “Post-Operative Physiotherapy” for a physiotherapy practice.

• Provide important information such as your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Make sure that this information is consistent with your website and other online listings.

• Write a description of your business using relevant medical keywords.

• Provide high-quality visuals of your clinic, staff members, and specialized equipment to build credibility with potential patients.

• Ask patients to leave a review to increase visibility online.

4. Respond to Negative Reviews

As a healthcare practice, you will likely come across negative reviews, and how you deal with them can make or break your business’s reputation. We recommend responding to them promptly and professionally.

When patients leave negative reviews, demonstrating commitment to patient satisfaction in your response can improve how potential patients will view your practice.

Taking too long or not responding to negative reviews can negatively impact your reputation, and in some cases, it can cause patients to turn away from your practice altogether and choose a competitor.

This is a situation you absolutely want to avoid.

Got a negative review? Here’s how to respond to the review professionally:

• The first step is to respond to the patient on time to show that you take their feedback seriously. You can incorporate automated responses to ensure that none of your reviews go unanswered.

• The next step is to acknowledge the patient’s experience and express regret for their inconvenience. You can invite the patient to reach out to you directly, allowing you to discuss their concerns in depth.

• When you do have a discussion, try to understand the root cause of the issue and devise a solution that addresses the patient’s concern and prevents future disappointments. Offer a sincere, heartfelt apology. Some brands also pair this with a voucher to show appreciation for the customer’s understanding.

• Thank the patient for their feedback, and let them know how valuable their input is in improving the overall patient experience.

A reputation management strategy can mitigate any damage the negative remarks can do to your brand. Addressing negative reviews can also reinforce trust with patients who may be momentarily disappointed but can be won back with your professional attitude.

With that being said, a positive review needs a response just as much as a negative one. You can thank your patients for their kind words and let them know that you value their opinion. This is also a great way to improve engagement on your online review platforms.

Here are some best practices for responding to a positive review:

• Respond promptly to your reviews to show patients that their feedback is valued.

• Thank your patients for leaving a review and for choosing your practice.

• Try to understand what aspects of your practice the patient is expressing appreciation for and log that as a data point to further improve the patient experience.

• Use this as an opportunity to build a relationship with the patient and engage with their comments to boost your visibility online.

• Share positive reviews on your social media pages or website to enhance your brand’s online reputation and build trust with potential patients.

5. Use Social Media For Your Healthcare Reputation Management

Maintaining a social media presence is one of the cornerstones of building an online reputation. Social media allows healthcare practices to engage with their patients in real time, and this works almost as a sample study for determining what works and what doesn’t.

Social media is how many patients discover healthcare practices. This is why it is so important for your social media profiles to be updated. How you respond to comments and queries on social media can determine how often your practice is recommended.

Here are some ways to ensure that your healthcare practice has a stellar social media presence:

• Build a social media presence by posting consistently on Facebook, Instagram, and the like.

• Use your social media accounts to share information and educational content. This will increase engagement and allow potential patients to discover your practice. You can boost your credibility by sharing patient testimonials and success stories.

• Encourage patients to leave reviews by sharing review invite links and incorporating QR codes into your patient interactions.

• Use social media advertising and SEO in synergy to boost online visibility on multiple fronts.

• Build relationships with other healthcare providers in the community to show that you are an expert in your field and that your platform is a source of educational content as much as entertainment.

• Analyze and adjust your social media strategy based on key performance indicators.

Building a strong social media brand will allow your healthcare practice to soar, attracting new patients and solidifying itself as the number one choice for existing patients.

6. Encourage Positive Reviews

We already know that reviews are important, but how can you ensure that you are getting positive reviews? Healthcare practices can encourage patients to leave positive reviews by ensuring that they have only good things to say about their experience.

It is important to note that the sheer number of positive reviews can offset the impact of a few negative ones.

• Provide excellent care:

Providing excellent patient care is the surest way to win the hearts of your patients. Offering high-quality services is essentially essential to maintaining a positive online reputation in the healthcare industry, as reflected in positive reviews.

• Ask for reviews:

Your patients may be very happy with the quality of care they received from you, but if you don’t give them a chance to leave a review, nobody will ever find out about it. Asking your patients to leave a review can give your business the boost in online visibility it needs.

• Make it easy:

It is important to ask your patients to leave positive reviews, but making it easy for them is how you ensure they actually do it. You can do this by sending patients direct links to your review sites. DemandHub is a great review link generator that allows your patients to quickly access your Google Business profile to leave a positive review.

• Incentivize:

In order to encourage your patients to leave a review, you can offer them small incentives, such as discounts or vouchers that they can receive automatically after leaving a review. This is a great way to ensure your patients leave reviews and can help you achieve a positive online reputation.

7. Build a Strong Website

Your website is your brand’s online real estate. It quite literally represents your business and is also the initial checkpoint for most patient interactions.

Your website serves as the first point of contact for patients. They judge practices based on the look and performance of the website.

To get more patients to book appointments, you want them to stay on your website, engage with it, and interact with it. Here’s how you can achieve that:

• Create a homepage that accurately represents your brand.

• Ensure that the design is responsive on all devices.

• Ensure that there are clear and concise calls to action (CTAs).

• Write high-quality, engaging SEO content.

• Add high-quality visuals of your facility, staff, and equipment.

• Incorporate online appointment software.

• Add social proof, such as positive patient feedback, testimonials, and reviews to your profile.

• Incorporate robust features such as web chat to ensure patients can reach you easily.

8. Adopt a Healthcare Reputation Management Platform

Investing in your practice’s online reputation is a smart business move. You can achieve your business objectives by adopting a healthcare reputation management platform. You can improve patient communication, manage online payments, and streamline appointment booking with the help of one software.

DemandHub is a popular reputation management software that has all the necessary features you need to manage your practice’s online reputation. These include text messaging, web chat, online appointment scheduling, and contactless payment processing.

If you’re interested in learning more about DemandHub’s elite reputation management features, book a free demo.