What every physician needs to knoW

about online reputation management

1 your online presence

like it or not, your reputation is being built and managed on the internet.

surVey results1. Physician review sites that are most popular with patients include Yelp, Healthgrades,

RateMDs, Vitals, and ZocDoc. 2. 61 percent of patients surveyed read online patient reviews before choosing a

physician and 20 percent use online reviews to evaluate their current physician.3. Patients are cautious about negative reviews and “can tell a valid complaint from an

overreaction.” 34 percent of patients surveyed cited “exaggerated reviews” as the main reason for disregarding a review. 1

1. Pennic F. Survey: Yelp Most Popular Site for Online Physician Reviews. HIT Consultant. November 18, 2014.

2 knoW What’s being said

address information in 3 areas: search engine results, social media, and rating sites

tips• Conduct web searches on yourself and monitor your reviews on rating sites.• Set up Google Alerts to receive notifications if you’re mentioned online.

3 negative revieWs

because of health care priVacy laws, you cannot respond publicly to online reViews

adVice1. Acknowledging publicly that the complaining party is a patient violates privacy laws.2. Reply with a general statement: “If you are a patient and wish to discuss concerns,

please contact our office directly.”3. If the complaints indicate that the patient is considering legal action, contact your

medical liability insurance company.4. If you know the complaining party, contact that person directly to discuss concerns.

4 optimiZe your Website

make sure your website appears at the top of search engine result pages

tools• Use search engine optimization techniques, such as targeted meta tags

and website page titles. • Create keyword-driven content based on your patients’ needs and how

they might search to find your website.

5 create your oWn content

tell your own story with Valuable, releVant content that will outrank negatiVe content.

adVice1. Create and manage a LinkedIn profile. Update your profile information on physician

review sites.2. Create your own blog or contribute to your hospital or specialty society blog.3. Create a video channel with original videos. YouTube is now the number two search

engine, after Google. 2

2. Siu E. Ignore Video and Miss Out on 69 Percent of Mobile Traffic. Entrepreneur.com. September 23, 2014.

6 choose carefully

use caution when choosing an online reputation management company

tips• Some companies engage in questionable techniques, such as offering to

post a certain number of patient reviews per month.• To do this, they may be posting reviews that are not from actual patients,

which is misleading and violates medical board rules.

7 protection for a neW era of medicine

read our cme article “online reputation management for physicians” for more tips

about the author — tmltWith more than 17,500 physicians in its care, Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) provides malpractice insurance to physicians. Our purpose is to make a positive impact on the quality of health care for patients by educating, protecting, and defending physicians. www.tmlt.org