Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Providers
May 20, 2014 01:00 AM

Docs should make the most of online rating sites

Harris Meyer
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    The Wall Street Journal has a good piece today on how physicians are responding to online consumer rating sites, which a growing number of patients are using to select a doctor. A study cited by the Journal found that online reviews generally are reliable indicators of patients' opinions about doctors.

    Modern Healthcare's Sabriya Rice reported in March on online doctor rating sites. Her story cited a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found 35% of consumers surveyed reported selecting a physician based on good reviews, while 37% avoided a doctor based on bad reviews. However, 43% of survey respondents reported a “lack of trust” in physician-rating sites, and many still preferred word-of-mouth referrals from family and friends.

    Doctors remain wary of such rating sites, and some have sued people who have posted negative comments about them.

    But Sabriya's article quoted experts saying doctors should embrace the trend rather than fight it, and the Journal article gives an example of a savvy family medicine group in Orange County, Calif., Caduceus Medical Group, that did just that.

    “Viewing the law as a way of dealing with this is very shortsighted,” David Ardia, co-director of the University of North Carolina Center for Media Law and Policy, told Modern Healthcare. Rather, doctors should regard these sites as potential opportunities to communicate excellence, he added.

    First, doctors should differentiate opinion from false factual statements on these sites, said Ronnie Dean, vice president of sales and marketing for Medical Justice, a group that works with doctors on medical-legal matters. He recommended writing a diplomatically worded note to the website's administrator, asking the site to consider whether a particular post complies with its terms of use policies.

    “Do not sweat an isolated negative review,” he advised. “The public understands you cannot make everyone happy. But the public also expects you will make most patients happy.”

    Another consultant urges doctors to contact site posters directly if possible, acknowledge the patient's issue, and offer to rectify the situation if appropriate. The goal is to get a positive update from the consumer, said Gary Truitt, founder of Fat Brain Interactive, which helps healthcare providers manage their online presence.

    Both Dean and Truitt suggested that doctors establish their own online system for seeking feedback from patients, especially those who have had a positive experience. “You have to be diligent in asking your patients for online feedback,” Dean said. Then, when the inevitable negative review does surface, “it will be placed in context of the multitude of positives.”

    Finally, an apology in appropriate situations goes a long way, Dean said. He cited a case where a surgeon mistakenly performed a tummy tuck instead of liposuction, and the patient ripped the physician online. The surgeon responded by refunding the fee and offering financial assistance during the patient's recovery.

    “When all was said and done, that patient recanted the slam, replacing it with a narrative of the physician's supportive actions,” Dean said.

    It's not just the consumer-friendly sites taking off, though. In the drive toward transparency, quality and accountability in healthcare, a fast-proliferating array of professional organizations are rating hospitals for consumers, leading to criticisms that the various ratings, rankings and report cards are creating more confusion than clarity. Share your experience in this Modern Healthcare survey.

    Follow Harris Meyer on Twitter: @MHHmeyer

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    373837936 (1).jpg
    New guidelines aim to limit trans healthcare at Catholic hospitals
    InDepth: Private Equity
    Legal questions surround private equity-backed Noble Health
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing