How To Respond to Negative Patient Reviews

Online reviews play a key role in a prospective patient’s research, helping them compare medical practices and make informed decisions about care. But reviews are only part of the picture. Potential patients also want to see that you reply thoughtfully and take concerns seriously. This article explains how to respond to patient reviews, with a focus on negative ones.

Why Responding to Reviews Matters

Responding to patient reviews builds trust, demonstrates professionalism, and reassures current and prospective patients that their concerns and experiences matter. Thoughtful responses can also help highlight your commitment to quality care and strengthen your patient relationships over time.

It’s inevitable that some of the reviews patients leave you will be negative. While it’s important to reply to all reviews, your responses to the negative ones say a lot about your character and how willing you are to receive constructive feedback and make changes accordingly.

Best Practices for Responding to Negative Reviews

Receiving negative feedback can be challenging. When you take pride in your work, it’s natural to struggle with not taking it personally. The following best practices will set you up to craft a professional, HIPAA-compliant response for every negative review you get.

Use a Polite, Professional Tone

Be respectful and professional in your response, not defensive and angry. This is a lot easier to do if you take a breather before replying, which is why we recommend waiting a couple days. Try to remember that one bad review in a sea of positive ones isn’t going to destroy your reputation, but responding poorly could.

Keep HIPAA Guidelines in Mind

HIPAA protects private medical information by setting guidelines for what you can and cannot share about your patients in a public forum. Here are some tips to remember as you craft a review response to ensure you don’t violate these guidelines:

• Don’t confirm that the patient was seen at your practice.
• Don’t mention their diagnosis or treatment.
• Don’t say their name, even if they provide it in their review.

Thank the Patient for the Feedback

Start your reply by thanking the patient. Don’t thank them for visiting your practice because that’s revealing that they’re a patient, which is a HIPAA violation. But you can thank them for taking the time to provide their feedback.

Acknowledge the Patient’s Concerns

The main reason a patient leaves a negative review is because they want to feel heard, so make sure your reply acknowledges their concerns. The best way to do this is with an apology. Keep it generic by saying you’re sorry that they had a bad experience.

Offer To Discuss the Matter Offline

Don’t try to hash out a dispute in your reply. Instead, provide your practice’s phone number and email address, and offer to discuss the matter with them directly. If you can determine the patient's identity based on their review, you can be proactive and call or email them first.

Final Thoughts

Responding to negative patient reviews can set you apart from other medical practices. Rather than ignoring them, see them as an opportunity to learn, grow, and strengthen your overall reputation. For help with managing patient reviews—as well as optimizing directory profiles on review sites—contact Officite to learn more about our Reputation Management service. .

Tom Daniel
General Manager

---