The Internet has revolutionized our lifestyles and we do an online search for almost everything. Similarly, more than 70% of people check online reviews before visiting a doctor. Today, the online review system has become the forecaster of your practice’s future. People decide whether they’ll visit your practice based your online reputation. So it is necessary for you to manage your profile on online review platforms. This will help you protect your practice from fraudulent reviews and improve your SEO. Let’s discuss the top four online review sites and their advantages and disadvantages.
Yelp
Leading the charts of review sites, Yelp is growing rapidly and visited by most people to write or read reviews on healthcare practitioners. Here, people rate your practice by giving stars and writing a personal review. You can either respond publically or personally. After account creation on Yelp, you can check your user views, actions, and Yelp ad clicks. Here, a negative review does not affect ranking, even though accessible.
Yelp is a tough site when it comes to claiming a profile. Yelp processes any claim related to a fraudulent profile only when paid. Also, for removal of a negative review, you need to send a formal request. There is also an issue with the reviews algorithm where some reviews are removed if Yelp doesn’t consider the writer an avid user.
Healthgrades
Over 100 million users search for doctors and hospitals through Healthgrades. Your profile as a physician is created on the basis of information gathered from the government or commercially. You have the right to claim and edit the profile by adding a photograph and other information such as education, specialty, appointment schedule, etc.
Healthgrades allows patients to evaluate a doctor, his staff, office, service, and experience. This patient-friendly site works on the principle of surveys instead of Q&A. Healthgrades also sends you a personalized postcard with your profile URL that can be given to patients.
But Healthgrades does not allow you to individually reply to a low-graded survey.
Vitals
Vitals is a database of healthcare practitioners. The search system is based on doctor name, specialty, and condition. This review system allows patients to share their experience with information such as staff behavior, wait time and promptness. Non-constructive reviews are not allowed on Vitals.
The profile on Vitals helps you appear on the first page of a Google search. You are also notified whenever rated. You can claim your profile for free but to access “enhanced” options, you need to pay a fee.
Vitals give space for an ad that is generally used by large hospitals to advertise their services and lure patients who were reviewing you.
RateMDs
RateMDs has over 1 million doctor profiles. It is visited by 100 million patients and has over 2 million reviews. This website has recently undergone some changes, including the profile claiming system. You need to mention your driver’s license number or a bill statement.
The review system of RateMDs allows patients to rate their visit to a practice based on the staff, helpfulness, punctuality, and knowledge. They can also leave any personal comment. On searching for a physician by area, the top 200 physicians in the area are listed. RateMDs awards all doctors who receive good reviews repeatedly. Also, the site removes any fraudulent reviews when you contact its support team.