Defending Your Reputation Online
Friday, September 17, 2010
Social media has seen a huge explosion in popularity, and user numbers get larger every minute. Over the last few years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of websites that are devoted to ranking and reviewing everything from restaurants to radiologists.
Specifically, there has been increase in the number of physician review sites, and with some physicians, it can create angst and apprehension. As a medical professional, you should realize that patients are posting their opinions on websites like Vitals.com, DrScore.com and RateMDs. com. Imagine someone putting this billboard up on a busy highway.
It’s no different online. Take RateMDs. com for example. The website has a total of 1,029,652 ratings (as of August 28, 2010), covering 238,545 doctors. Here’s one recent rating on a doctor:
“I went there last month as a result of a referral. All I needed was my blood pressure checked and my prescription renewed. On the day I went, it was 91º outside. Inside the packed waiting room, it felt like 85º or hotter. After 1 hr 15 minutes, I was ushered into an exam room to wait 45 minutess more. The nurse took my blood pressure — 128/76. I was floored, I had been off my meds two months. The second time — 127/74. Wow. The doctor wrote the prescription anyway. I asked her about the heat, and she said she refused to turn the A/C below 78º because it made her uncomfortable. She even had a lockbox on the thermostat (pointed out by a staff member). I went to pay by credit card, the desk person said, ‘She’s too cheap to take credit cards.’ I went home and took out my blood pressure machine. I was shocked. I had not taken it in months. It read 196/98. I went to Wal-Mart, it was 194/96. I went to CVS, it was 197/95. I called, talked to a nurse, she blamed the other machines. She promised to have the doctor call, but I never heard from her and also never got a bill.”
The positive ratings outnumber the negative, so we advise you to encourage the use of doctor-rating sites. Keep in mind that it’s impossible to prevent patients from using websites that rate doctors. Doctors can work to their benefit by determining which sites provide the most reputable and relevant information and then directing patients to them.
You should also consider having an open and active e-mail address specifically for patient communications. While this will not completely eliminate ticked off patients or those with an ax to grind, by sending a simple e-mail to a patient after an appointment, making a brief follow-up call or sending out a mailer, a doctor goes a long way towards sealing someone’s righteous complaint.
Consider a well-placed sign that invites patients to express themselves via e-mail, and maybe combining it with the necessary forms. This can have a tremendous effect towards making people feel more comfortable talking to a doctor or his staff about their experiences, rather than the entire Internet.
About the Author
Dan Turkette is President of Turkette IT Services. For more information, visit www.turkette.com.
MD News, West Michigan Market, September/October 2010