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How do patient satisfaction surveys and online reputation management play a role in the healthcare industry?

The patient now has more choice than ever. Access to knowledge and unbiased opinions is instantaneous. For anyone providing a service, reputation management is essential. And if you’re a provider of healthcare, it is no different. If an individual seeks the online reviews of others before choosing a restaurant to eat in, why would they be any less diligent when it comes to something as important as their health, or their family’s health?



What’s important when it comes to a healthcare patient satisfaction survey

After visiting a health care provider a patient can have the opportunity of filling in a healthcare patient satisfaction survey. The following are important:
  • The patient must be able to carry it out confidentially, to ensure the survey is filled out openly and honestly.

  • It’s preferable that the survey takes place relatively soon after the conclusion of the patient’s visit to ensure the experience is fresh in the memory and anything important wouldn’t have been forgotten.

  • The results need to be collated and presented in a way that is understood by all team members who view them.

  • The more patients you have, the more data you will have in your system. And data, therefore, becomes more credible. Otherwise, several anomalies could reduce the effectiveness of decision making.

  • Finally, the data gathered needs to be utilized. There’s no use in spending the time and money (including patient’s time) if the data isn’t analyzed and used in future decision making.
What is healthcare online reputation management all about?

Times are changing fast and healthcare online reputation management is not something that can be ignored. Collecting data from patients is one thing, but knowing what the public thinks about them is another. While you can’t control what everyone is saying about you, there are ways you can try and manage it. The first step is to realize that if your primary focus is to provide an optimal service, then the amount of time and effort it takes to manage an online reputation is significantly reduced. You shouldn’t have much to worry about.

It’s very important for any service provider to keep up to date with the data. And more importantly, to act on it. If a doctor consistently gets poor reviews then investigate why. If a large proportion of patients make a particular comment then it would be wise to consider whether they are pointing to a solution to a problem. If negative reviews keep cropping up then they have to be addressed.

A reputation management service can also be needed. The overall online perception may be completely different from the actual state. What reputation management does is helps to make sure your online presence is a more accurate representation of reality.

Advice for physician online reputation management

It helps the career of a doctor if they dedicate a little of their time to physician online reputation management. The following advice can help:
  •  Keep track of your online reviews.

  •  While your primary focus should always be on healthcare and your patient, it may not be a bad idea to have a social media presence and to have an up to date profile on medical sites and forums. That way, potential patients can get to know you a little bit and you will have achieved some familiarity with you, which will make the patient feel more comfortable during their first visit.

  •  It’s hard to please everyone. Any negative reviews provide an opportunity for real honest feedback and a chance to improve.

  •  Reply to comments. Then you can give context and have your say if there are any less-favorable comments.

  •  Assume that every patient you meet is going to be leaving a review. If your focus is on providing a great service then you’ll probably only be getting positive online feedback.

The easily accessible information, that includes unbiased reviews is good for everyone. It’s good for patients because it allows them to have their say. It’s good for doctors because getting direct feedback provides an opportunity to perform a better service. And it’s good for a healthcare provider because better decisions can be made that are data-driven. Also, real, honest feedback from patients will allow improvements to be made.

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