Online reviews for doctors and medical practices are influential in a patient’s decision when visiting the doctor’s office, according to a new survey from Digital Assent, an Atlanta, Ga.-based provider of patient satisfaction surveys and online healthcare reputation marketing solutions.
Seventy-two percent of patients reported that bad reviews would prevent them from going to see a particular doctor. And 46 percent of patients said it only takes two to five bad reviews out of 100 to discourage them from a particular practice, according to the survey’s results. Eighteen percent of respondents said reviews do not have any influence on their decisions.
The Online Patient Review Survey had 341 participants and the data collected demonstrates that in order to achieve what patients consider a healthy online reputation, physicians need to consistently receive positive reviews from their patients. Despite these findings, the fact remains that many doctors are reluctant to adopt practices to actively solicit patient feedback and collect more patient reviews.
However, physicians do seem to care what people are saying about them. A survey last October from ZocDoc, an online medical care scheduling service found that 85 percent of physician respondents proactively monitor online reviews about themselves, and 36 percent look at their competitors' reviews.
