According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) article Effect of Negative Online Reviews and Physician Responses on Health Consumers’ Choice: Experimental Study, “An online review is a negative or a positive statement made by former consumers about a product, which is available to numerous people via the internet. Negative information is considered more informative and diagnostic than positive information, and negative cues attract more attention than positive ones. Consumers always place more emphasis on negative reviews when making a judgment or purchase decision. When the decision-making process focuses on the textual message, positive framing is less effective than negative framing. In this sense, negative reviews always have a stronger influence on consumers’ purchase intention than positive reviews do.”
According to an article published in Medical Economics, the following types of reviews may be eligible for removal:
Reviews containing demonstrably false information that damages your reputation may be removed. However, remember that opinions ("I didn't like the doctor's bedside manner") are protected speech, while false statements ("The doctor performed surgery without my consent") may be grounds for removal.
Reviews from individuals who were never your patients can usually be removed. This includes competitor posts or spam reviews that violate platform guidelines.
The NIH study states that, “Responses to negative reviews can be understood as a service carried out to cocreate value with consumers and other stakeholders. Regardless of the response strategy, managerial responses can create external effects on negative review posters and potential consumers. Responses to negative reviews also mitigate the adverse effects of the negative reviews on the sellers’ reputation and positively influence consumers’ trust toward the sellers, as well as consumers’ evaluation of the products and services.”
Keep detailed records of any review disputes, including:
Each review platform has its own process for disputing reviews:
Instead of focusing solely on removal, consider these positive approaches:
Developing an approach to requesting reviews from satisfied patients can help build a more balanced online presence and counteract the impact of occasional negative feedback. As noted in the NIH article 'What Can I Do About a Negative Online Review?',“The good news is that most online reviews are very positive. The bad news is that you have very limited recourse related to negative reviews.”
Encourage satisfied patients to share their experiences, send follow-up emails with review links, incorporate gentle reminders at checkout, or display signage encouraging feedback.
Use feedback from reviews to improve your practice. When patients see that you're responsive to concerns, they're more likely to update negative reviews positively. As stated in “What Can I Do About a Negative Online Review?”, “The first thing you should do is really think about the patient’s complaint to rule out that it is a valid one. For example, just because you and your front office assistant always communicate professionally with each other does not mean that a patient’s complaint of rudeness on the part of the office assistant is, per se, false. Next, if the negative review was posted by a current patient, you should discuss the concerns privately with the patient.”
Regular monitoring of your online reviews allows for quick responses and helps identify potential issues before they escalate. If a negative review appears to be false or violates platform guidelines, removal may be an option. The above quoted article further advises, “If there is no confirmation that the poster is or was a patient, you can also ask the hosting site to remove the post if the post is false and violates the site’s own policies and terms and/or if removal is allowed (e.g., some sites will give physicians a set number of ‘take downs’ per year, no questions asked).”
Regular monitoring of online reviews allows for timely responses and helps identify potential issues before they escalate, making it easier to address reviews that may be false or violate platform guidelines.
It is illegal to post fake reviews or "astroturf," as this can result in significant legal consequences, including fines.
While legal action is possible, it should be a last resort due to the potential for negative publicity and the costs involved.