Online reviews through platforms like RateMDs.com, Vitals.com, and Healthgrades.com are having increasing weight in patients’ choice of healthcare provider. Why are patients now scouring online reviews? Three main reasons:
- Doctors are seeing a crop of young adult patients who are accustomed to review platforms like Rate My Professors and Yelp.
- Many customers feel more comfortable expressing their feelings online than face to face.
- Posting an online review is quick and easy. Patients can do it with the click of a button on a mobile app.
The speed-consciousness of this generation has another effect: patients are much more protective of their time. In an era where we can shop, send messages and do so much more at the click of a button, patients are less likely to be–well–patient when sitting in a doctor’s waiting room. A large number of negative patient reviews come from patients who feel their time has been wasted; think 45 minute wait times for a 10 minute appointment. Patients may sometimes, however, be particularly impatient, having unrealistic expectations about service and without realizing how busy most medical professionals are. This is why many doctors outsource their branding to online reputation management companies in DC. We give doctors the opportunity to focus on patient care. Indeed, many doctors find this new review-centric climate frustrating, believing that it does nothing to further the doctor’s real objective of diagnosing and treating a patient.
It’s true that positive Healthgrades reviews will not cure cancer, but the work of an online reputation management company can help medical professionals do a better job. They encourage better service and boost patient interaction. Doctors adapt their behavior based on reviews and spend more time with their patients. The result is better communication and follow-through with treatment and aftercare. Better reviews can also mean better funding, as the government uses patient satisfaction reviews to determine how much reimbursement hospitals get for Medicare patients. Lastly, with their online reputations secure, doctors can focus on their jobs. With a solid healthcare online reputation management company handling their images, doctors, nurses and other professionals can stop fretting and focus on patients.
At Matador Solutions, we collect and post authentic, positive reviews across respected online reviewing platforms and to specially built client websites. With our assistance, healthcare professionals can counteract negative reviews and receive genuine, helpful feedback to build a better practice. If you are interested in Washington DC online reputation management for your healthcare business, contact Matador Solutions today and let us restore the health of your good name.
