Don't ignore Web sites where patients review your physicians

Why This Topic Matters

Online reviews can affect how prospective patients perceive a practice, making reputation monitoring and response planning relevant to practice management. The article also touches on how practices think about patient feedback, customer service, and privacy issues when engaging online.

Article Sections

1. Physician review sites and online reputation

   Introduces patient review websites and explains their growing visibility in shaping the public image of physicians and practices.

2. What to do about it

   Discusses general approaches practices may consider when encountering online reviews and the importance of having a response strategy.

3. Turning negatives into positives

   Explores the idea of using review sites as informal feedback about patient experience and practice performance.

4. Web presence survey results

   Summarizes survey findings about how peers view physician review sites and their expected future use.

5. HIPAA violations unlikely

   Addresses privacy concerns raised by online responses and the general issue of communicating without exposing protected information.