Positive Patient Reviews: 7 Ways to Get Feedback From Your Satisfied Patients

In today’s digital age, the significance of online reviews can’t be overstated, especially in the healthcare industry. Positive patient reviews play a critical role in shaping the perception and success of medical practices. In this blog post, we will explore why positive patient reviews are so valuable and provide effective strategies for encouraging feedback from satisfied patients.

Why are positive patient reviews so valuable for medical practices?

Positive patient reviews are extremely valuable to medical practices for several reasons. First, positive reviews enhance the trust and credibility of a medical practice. Prospective patients often rely on the experiences of others to make informed decisions about where to seek care, so these positive reviews go a long way in demonstrating a practice’s potential as a good fit. In this way, these reviews are also a crucial part of a practice’s online reputation.

Next, positive reviews can boost a practice’s search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines like Google consider reviews as a factor in ranking local businesses, including medical practices, higher in search results. This makes it easier for patients shopping for a new physician to find your practice.

Patient reviews are also valuable in their ability to be used for patient engagement. Reviews provide insights into patient satisfaction and areas for improvement, meaning they can help practices identify strengths and weaknesses, leading to better patient care and serve enhancements and, ultimately, more patient engagement.

Finally, there’s a competitive advantage to be gained from positive patient reviews. In a competitive healthcare market, such as what is in place today, positive reviews can set a practice apart from others. They serve as social proof that the practice provides quality care, which can be a deciding factor for patients choosing between multiple providers.

7 Ways to Get Feedback From Your Satisfied Patients

Encouraging feedback from satisfied patients is crucial for medical practices to build a positive online reputation and improve their services. Here are seven effective ways to encourage patient reviews:

1. Ask directly. Train practice staff to ask for feedback during or after appointments, especially when patients express satisfaction with their care.
2. Send follow-up emails. Follow-up emails or text messages thanking patients for their visit can be a great opportunity to ask for a review. Include direct links to review sites to make the process easier.
3. Provide review cards. Give patients review cards that include simple instructions on how to leave a review online.
4. Utilize your website and social media. Place review request prompts on the practice’s website and social media pages. Highlight where patients can leave reviews. Additionally, posting positive reviews on your website is a great way to display those testimonials without requiring potential patients to move around on the internet.
5. Put up signage in the office. Use posters or flyers in the waiting room or at the checkout desk to encourage patients to share their experiences online. Include a QR code on the poster that links directly to a survey document or Google review site.
6. Request reviews through your patient portal. Utilize the patient portal to send reminders and provide a convenient way for patients to leave feedback.
7. Send out surveys. Distribute satisfaction surveys with an option to leave additional comments or reviews. If patients provide positive feedback in the survey, follow up with a request to share their experience online. As mentioned above, the most cost-effective way to distribute these surveys is through text or email. It’s also important to score these surveys so that, as mentioned, patients with positive experiences are encouraged to leave social media reviews, while those patients with negative experiences are contacted by the practice so the issue may be addressed.

Positive patient reviews are a cornerstone for the success and growth of medical practices. They not only build trust and credibility among prospective patients but also enhance the practice’s online reputation and visibility through improved SEO. By actively seeking and encouraging feedback through various methods, medical practices can harness the power of positive reviews to attract new patients and foster long-term relationships with existing ones.

At MicroMD, we are happy to offer our patient engagement solution, MMDengage, which allows you to efficiently connect with your patients after their visit to collect feedback and encourage reviews.

For more information or to get started with MMDengage, visit micromd.com or call 1-800-624-8832.