The digital age seems to have any many drawbacks as it does conveniences, and medicine is no exception! For nearly every product or service we encounter, there are endless forums, blogs, and review sites that consumers lean on to make real-world decisions. It used to be that doctors were somewhat immune to certain criticisms, especially coming from patients themselves. But now, all of that has changed with online reviews shaping part of the success of one’s practice! Here we’ll discuss combatting negative physician reviews and some of the best approaches for garnering good ones:
Combatting Negative Physician Reviews:
As a locum tenens physician, it’s likely that traveling to many different hospitals and practices have helped you get a feel for the best and worst medical facilities out there. Your range of experience makes you a particularly apt team member to consider how your recent assignment’s facility can avoid and combat bad reviews. Even though you’re traveling somewhere new in the near future, combatting negative physician reviews is still important. You want future hiring managers to know you’ve worked in great environments previously, and you never want to be the subject of a negative review!
A survey by Software Advice revealed that 72 percent of patients incorporate online reviews into their search for finding a new doctor. Half of these respondents also said they would go out-of-network for doctors who had more favorable reviews than in-network physicians. And while you would hope that this means patients are getting the best care they can, it’s often more likely that sites like Yelp and Healthgrades serve as places to post one’s frustrations rather than their accolades.
With this in mind, combatting negative physician reviews remains something locum tenens doctors need to consider from one assignment to the next. Here’s how:
1. Respond Accordingly
Unfortunately, staying silent in the face of a negative review isn’t exactly the best approach. In fact, if you don’t respond to bad reviews there can be several consequences. First, the patient who posted the review may feel inclined to post additional negative comments if they feel like they are being ignored. Second, other prospective patients may question your professionalism or the facility’s professionalism as a whole.
The key is to respond with the intent of sympathizing with patients. Ideally, turning the review into a positive with well-thought out responses is the ultimate goal. Explaining to patients why a certain situation occurred the way it did can speak volumes about your willingness to find solutions. In any case, denying a bad situation or arguing with patients aggressively only makes things worse.
2. Don’t Point Digital Fingers
Rather than trying to bounce a patient’s negative review back on them, it’s often better to rely on I/We statements. Even if the patient has no concept of what was going on at the time of their visit, speaking from your perspective or the facility’s perspective is ideal. Avoid accusing the patient of any fault and try to remain neutral. Sure it’s easy to fight a patient themselves on a subject, but remember the goal is combatting negative physician reviews.
Try to flip the script without taking on more responsibility than necessary. Explaining how a reviewer’s issue is really something that staff are aware of and are trying to improve is a solid approach.
3. Encourage Patients to Leave Positive Reviews
Of course, you don’t want to have fake reviews written, but encouraging patients to write reviews can help! If someone has been a lifelong patient or had a particularly positive experience, it can’t hurt to ask for a good review. When patients share their experiences, it’s more likely that others will do the same. This is a great way to offset any bad reviews that could be floating around.
4. Reflect and Reform a Practice
If there are a considerable amount of negative online reviews for a facility or practice, it may be time to seriously consider what could change. As a locum tenens doctor, you have a unique perspective that is useful for helping permanent staff troubleshoot. Combatting negative physician reviews may honestly come down to changing what patients are frustrated about. Of course, not everything is within a facility’s control but it doesn’t hurt to address bad reviews as a time for reflection.
Ever receive a horrible review? What did you do about it? Let us know in the comments below!
January 3, 2022
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