You listen to your patients in the office, but what about after they leave? Do you know what your patients say about you online? 

Consider the following situation and what you might do differently.

A prospective patient, let’s call her Karen, has a nagging shoulder pain that keeps her up at night. She tosses and turns in her sleep, wondering what her doctor would say about the pain. Finally, after 3 weeks of sleepless nights, Karen goes to her primary physician to discuss her shoulder. Her primary doctor refers Karen to orthopedic specialist. The doctor writes down a few names to call and sends her on her way. “Good luck!” he says.

Karen immediately goes online to research the doctors referred by her primary physician. She types a name into Google. “Mark Anthony, MD,” let’s say. Within seconds, Karen sees where Dr. Anthony is located, his phone number, and a link to his website. As she searches a little more, Google also finds several reviews written about Dr. Anthony.

Let’s stop here for a minute. Now, if you are Dr. Anthony, you might not even know these reviews exist. They are not on your website, they are Google. And, if Karen reads a bad review, chances are you won’t be the one to fix her shoulder. Is there a way to monitor your online reputation, you ask? You bet.

Prospective patients google doctor names all the time and look for reviews. Gone are the days of simply taking your doctor’s referral without doing some checking first. No one is using an old fashioned phone book either. Clearly, your online reputation can have an impact on your practice. So, how can you be sure that when someone googles you they don’t find incorrect or outdated information, or worse, a bad review?  

As a leader in medical website design, iHealthSpot can include a special feature with your website that gives you a bird’s eye view of your online presence. This tool is packed with everything you need to know what your customers say, generate positive reviews, manage negative reviews, and more. All in real-time.

Managing your online ratings and patient reviews also send a message to patients that tell them you are listening. You hear what they say and appreciate their valuable feedback.

With your online reputation in check, prospective patients like Karen will have confidence in your business, and they are more likely to book an appointment (and post a positive review afterward!).

Try googling yourself and your practice. If you don’t like what you find, your next call should be iHealthSpot for online reputation management help.