Tips to Avoid Negative Online Reviews

Updated on June 13, 2020

Did you know that almost 75% patients refer to online reviews before heading to a medical facility? The word-of-mouth still plays a huge role amongst online communities that trust patients who readily share their experience about health providers. While the positive ones are good for business, the negative reviews can have a significant impact on your goodwill. Patients will only go to healthcare providers who have a favourable online reputation. 

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So, if you want to make sure that each of your customer interaction ends in a delightful experience, you need to do the following things to avoid a negative review. 

Hiring unqualified personnel

Never take the risk of hiring unqualified personnel in your team. An untrained staff can put your patients’ health at a massive risk. Ensure that your hospital follows a standard recruitment procedure and human resource policies to avoid hiring anyone who doesn’t know their job. No matter what position you are hiring for, be it an in-house receptionist or an outsourced live agent, make sure that the people associated with your practice are adept at their work. You should also provide them adequate medical training to ensure compliance at every stage and deliver highest quality of medical services. 

Long wait times

The worst thing that can happen to a patient looking for immediate medical attention is painful navigation through the IVR system to reach an automated response. Instead, you can consider outsourcing your incoming call operations to a reliable service provider. These vendors have a robust infrastructure to provide 24/7 service and also a team of professional live agents who are trained to handle your incoming calls with alacrity and accuracy. Many healthcare businesses have started outsourcing their administrative duties to companies because they realize that the Answering Services For Doctors Cost way less than fixing poor reputation and acquiring new customers! 

Poor communication

The people on the other end of the line should be able to either answer the queries or direct you to someone who can. This is why hiring medical answering service has proven to be highly beneficial for healthcare providers. They can eliminate the risk of poor communication by training the agents who in-turn provide accurate information to the patients who call in. Moreover, it also frees up your in-house resources who are able to address all concerns of the walk-in patients and provide better care without being distracted by a constantly ringing telephone. 

Dirty facilities

A clinic or a hospital should not only look aesthetic but also follow strict cleanliness procedures. Not doing so is the quickest way to earn yourself a bad name. Since this is where all the sick people come, it is your duty to provide them with a conducive environment to heal and not fall sick all over again. The last thing you want is to have a family member become infected with a hospital-acquired infection! Apart from taking active role in keeping the premises clean, you must also take the patient feedback seriously. If someone has pointed out about the unhygienic facility, then take that into account and work on it rather than ignoring the complaint. Your patient will feel valued if you act on their request. 

Billing issues

Medical billing errors is the biggest reason why insurance claims fail and the reimbursement becomes inaccessible. Hospitals often struggle with these errors that are more common than one might think. The best way to avoid this hassle is by ensuring that your reimbursement policies have been clearly defined and the pricing is transparent. You can also consider outsourcing your non-core duties such as billing, insurance claims, reimbursement, appointment scheduling etc. to a third party vendor who has sophisticated systems and tools to ensure that all the data is recorded accurately and updated in a timely manner. By doing so, you can not only eliminate patient dissatisfaction but also prevent expensive lawsuits arising out of mishandling of data by your staff. 

Online hospital reviews are a key player these days as they play an active role in helping the user make an informed decision. A bad online reputation can reflect negatively on your healthcare institution that can affect your business in the long run. 

As a hospital owner or healthcare provider, you should regularly monitor what your patients have to say about your facility and act promptly on all negative feedback. Don’t forget to reward positive experiences with an acknowledgement of their patronage. 

You should also look into hiring medical answering services to streamline your business process and avoid errors that can adversely impact your reputation in any way. A good outsourcing partner works as an extension of your business and provides you with adequate support to run your practice efficiently and profitably. 

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The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.