Marketers know that a business’s reputation is largely driven by online reviews.
While maintaining a positive reputation is nothing new to consumer-centric industries – 92 percent of consumers read reviews prior to purchase – modern healthcare organizations are accomplishing this using online reputation management (ORM) strategies.
What’s more, value-based care programs driving collaboration between payers and providers have put a stronger emphasis on transparency, making online reputation management more critical than ever. To manage an online reputation effectively, providers must meet customers where they are, in real-time -- on Google, Facebook, Healthgrades and other healthcare specialty sites. And as they do, they’re finding ways to improve the patient experience based on the candid feedback expressed in online reviews and social media comments.
Here are some examples of how online ratings and reviews are creating opportunities for healthcare providers to improve patient experience.
Prioritizing Patient Experience
Transparency is shaping healthcare by influencing patients’ provider choices. Patients are paying more out of pocket than ever before, making them more invested in their healthcare decisions. Patients are clamoring for information that can help them choose the right doctor, clinic or hospital.
With nearly 75 percent of the patient population using online reviews as the first step in finding a new doctor; and an even higher proportion claiming they’re willing to pay more for a provider with higher ratings and reviews, it’s vital that healthcare providers leverage online feedback. Healthcare consumers are relying on prior patient experiences as a benchmark in their search for new doctors and treatment options. Effectively, healthcare has become a far more service-intensive industry than it once was – and like any other service, customer feedback provides insight in how to attract and retain business.
Maintaining online profiles for each doctor and location simplifies the search process for healthcare consumers. Provider profiles should include basic contact information, details on what insurance they accept, patient reviews, hours of operation and other information that helps patients make informed decisions. But, because a consumer’s first stop for provider information is usually a search engine and not the provider’s website (where messaging around services offered is controlled), healthcare organizations must also push doctor and location information to third-party sites, so patients can find providers no matter where they look. Without technology, healthcare organizations will find it difficult to manage all this data — and ensure accuracy across hundreds of sites.
Addressing Patient Feedback in Real Time
Consumers are conditioned to use reviews to evaluate products and services, and healthcare is no exception: 80 percent of consumers want to read six or more reviews to fairly assess a healthcare provider. To be successful in today’s online-centric healthcare marketplace, organizations and providers need to harness the power of feedback from patient reviews and address the needs of their customers.
An ORM solution centralizes reviews across hundreds of websites, offering a 360-degree view of customer feedback to make providers aware of all issues as soon as they surface. Without ORM, healthcare organizations will struggle with monitoring online sentiment across the web and analyzing recurring trends. Important patient care issues could go unnoticed and unaddressed, as a result. With tools that aggregate all online feedback and analyze sentiment, ORM helps healthcare providers identify and address patient concerns promptly.
Two-Way Communication, Simplified
When done right, Online Reputation Management enables two-way communication, benefiting both patients and providers. Patients are already using online reviews to provide feedback about their experiences, expressing both positive interactions, as well as concerns. Healthcare providers have the opportunity to respond to these reviews and encourage communication online. Providers can also use insights from reviews to make improvements that enhance the care they provide.
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