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 How to Generate More Patient Reviews for Your Hospital

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<h2>Patients rely on <a href="https://www.podium.com/article/google-reviews/">reviews</a>.</h2>
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<p>Consequently, staying up to speed with review sites and processes is absolutely essential. If you’re ready to generate <a href="https://www.podium.com/article/hospital-reviews/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">more</a> patient reviews and acquire new patients, here is a checklist to help you get started.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-14127 aligncenter" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/interaction-managment-3.jpg" alt="Doctor talking to a patient" width="800" height="350" /></p>
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<h2>1. Become familiar with review sites.</h2>
<p>Before visiting a new healthcare practice, <a href="https://learn.podium.com/eb-2021-sor-healthcare/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">52% of patients</a> search in Google or “Google Maps” and 41% search on healthcare review sites. There are many different patient review sites out there, and they are often compiled with public information from the government National Provider Identifier (NPI) Registry.</p>
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<p>Some review sites are industry specific, like Psychology Today for mental health professionals or Dentistry.com for dentists. Other sites congregate all kinds of medical reviews and are sorted out by your profession, location, and types of insurance accepted.</p>
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<p>The review sites you choose to incorporate and manage might vary based on the type of your healthcare practice. But some common sites to be familiar with include:</p>
<ul>
<li>HealthGrades</li>
<li>Doctor.com</li>
<li>Wellness.com</li>
<li>Vitals</li>
<li>Rate MDs</li>
<li>Web MD</li>
<li>ZocDoc</li>
<li>Caredash</li>
<li>Yelp</li>
<li>Facebook</li>
<li>Google Business Profile</li>
</ul>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-14158 aligncenter" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-05-at-1.05.13-PM.png" alt="" width="456" height="176" /></p>
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<p>While you should be familiar with many review sites, keep in mind that patients are more than <a href="https://learn.podium.com/eb-2021-sor-healthcare/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">twice as likely</a> to turn to Google to discover and choose a local practice than any other site. <a href="https://learn.podium.com/eb-2021-sor-healthcare/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">29%</a> of patients are likely to turn to social media, and 28% to WebMD. Each review site has different categories for patient evaluation and a varying rating system. In addition to checking out example profiles and patient reviews, you might read up on the best practices for each site to learn how you can optimize your listing. The support center usually has guidelines to help you get started.</p>
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<h2>2. Claim your business on review sites.</h2>
<p>Once you have familiarized yourself with the review sites you wish to manage, claim your healthcare business on each site.</p>
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<p>Because your listing is compiled from public information, patients are already leaving reviews of your practice whether you’re aware of it or not. Claiming your business on each review site enables you to add in helpful information like your specialties, a unique bio, your philosophy on patient care, the types of insurance you accept, a profile picture, and more.</p>
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<p>Keywords can also play an important role in these patient-facing descriptions. Adding keywords to any of these categories, especially those in your GMB or Google Maps listing, is simple. For example, if you’re a small dermatology practice and want your business to show up in local results for <a href="https://www.podium.com/local-marketing/how-to-rank-for-near-me-searches/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">near me searches</a>, you might include search terms such as “dermatologist near me” and “dermatologists in my area.”</p>
<p>After your optimized listing is claimed, your profile will be verified and you can respond to patient reviews. When it comes to collecting reviews, it’s crucial to <a href="https://www.podium.com/article/the-results-are-in-responding-to-reviews-matters/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">show</a> your customers that reviews matter to you—and that means managing them well.</p>
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<p>You should respond to negative reviews within 2 hours and positive ones within 24 hours. Showing your customers that you are responsive and open to their feedback will make them more willing to leave you reviews. Google’s <a href="https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en">GMB support</a> page explicitly says responding to reviews “shows that you value your customers and their feedback” and helps “build consumer trust.”</p>
<p>Managing reviews is a great way to engage with patients, let them know how much you value their feedback, and appear in more searches.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-14115 aligncenter" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/retention.jpg" alt="Two men smiling at each other" width="800" height="350" /></p>
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<h2>3. Ask for reviews via text.</h2>
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<p>No matter what review site you are hoping to boost your reputation with, asking for patient reviews via text message is the optimal way to generate more reviews. Text messages have a <a href="https://www.smscomparison.com/mass-text-messaging/2020-growth/">98% open rate</a> and 95% are opened and responded to within three minutes of being delivered.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.business2community.com/communications/sms-trends-businesses-try-2018-02045616">9 out of 10</a> customers prefer to interact with a business via text message. And according to a recent survey, over a <a href="https://learn.podium.com/eb-sor-2020/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">third</a> of consumers who receive a text review invite leave one.</p>
<p>You can have staff explain to patients in person how text reviews work, how reviews help you provide a better patient experience that will benefit them, and that they can anticipate a review request via text message. Or you can opt for digital messaging solutions through the whole process. Regardless, patients are ready to hear from healthcare systems via text.</p>
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<p>In <a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/patient-experience/how-monument-health-transformed-the-patient-experience-with-a-digital-solution.html">Monument Healthcare’s</a> case, implementing a text-based approach to review requests helped them connect with more patients, collect more reviews, and show up better online. In just eight months they doubled their five-star review rate, increased average review ratings by 26.4%, and received 6.5x more reviews per month. They also saw an 8% increase in calls coming in directly from their Google Business Profile listing.</p>
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<h2>4. Link to your online listings from your website.</h2>
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<p>To optimize your review collection, you should also include a link to your online reviews from your website. Once your healthcare business is claimed, most sites give the option to add a badge or widget to your website.</p>
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<p>These badges and widgets allow patients to click and be led directly to the review sites of your choice. They allow patients to leave reviews quickly and easily, reducing friction and increasing convenience.</p>
<p>You can place these badges and widgets in a highly visible spot on your website, along with an invitation like “leave us a review!” You might also consider including a section that displays some of your best reviews along with your star rating.</p>
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<p>This page from Morrow County Dental’s website helps instil confidence in prospective patients and tells them what kind of experience they are going to have. 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family. With the right widgets, prospective patients will see that you value patient satisfaction and are on top of managing reviews. This will help you rank well in search engine results and acquire new patients as your reputation grows.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-14159 aligncenter" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-05-at-1.10.12-PM.png" alt="" width="634" height="254" /></p>
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<h2>5. Automate your patient feedback process.</h2>
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<p>Timing matters in asking for patient reviews. Review requests are the most effective post-appointment when the patient experience is still fresh. Approximately <a href="https://nrchealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Phoenix_CaseStudy_V12_LC.pdf">73% of patients</a> want to be asked for feedback a few minutes to a few hours after a care event. Keeping track of hundreds, even thousands, of patients and appointments without letting messages slip through the cracks can be a lot of work. Automating feedback and/ or review text requests to be sent directly to patients keeps the process simple and straightforward for patients and staff.</p>
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<p>When using automations, it’s even more important to <a href="https://blog.podium.com/balance-personalization-automation-customer-interactions/?utm_campaign=eb-03-16-21&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_source=ebook&amp;utm_content=how-to-generate-more-patient-reviews">maintain humanlike feel</a>. You can do this by addressing patients by name, sending the text while patients are still on-site, and sincerely thanking patients for their feedback.</p>
<p>An automated text can be an important touchpoint in patient engagement and customer communications. Done correctly, it can strengthen relationships and help you improve your patient experience.</p>
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<p>To make the most of your feedback, it’s vital that you make changes according to the feedback you receive. This can evolve into an effective patient experience feedback loop. A patient leaves feedback, you optimize according to the feedback, and the next patient leaves a more positive review.</p>
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