Tips for boosting google reviews?

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specepic

specepic

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So for the last few years we handed out postcards with the names of doc review sites (healthgrades, etc.) and that worked well. The card listed three big sites, asks them nicely to give us a review, and we stapled a business card to it. this was effective

It seems that google reviews are getting more important. I have 2 questions:

- can google reviews be done anonymously (my concern is pt confidentiality)?

- how to best communicate this to pts and encourage good reviews

TY
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One thing I've noticed businesses doing: They will send a text or email asking how your experience was - 1 to 5 stars. If you click five stars you get asked if you would like to write a Google review with a direct link. If less than five stars it asks if you'd like to leave feedback.
 
ragnathor said:
One thing I've noticed businesses doing: They will send a text or email asking how your experience was - 1 to 5 stars. If you click five stars you get asked if you would like to write a Google review with a direct link. If less than five stars it asks if you'd like to leave feedback.
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That's a good system. We have one that sends that email with a link for google review once the chart is signed. If we don't sign the chart that day, the patient doesn't get the email. So we just hang on to the chart if someone was mad we wouldn't give them pain meds or something. But I like the way this one you mentioned works
 
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ragnathor said:
One thing I've noticed businesses doing: They will send a text or email asking how your experience was - 1 to 5 stars. If you click five stars you get asked if you would like to write a Google review with a direct link. If less than five stars it asks if you'd like to leave feedback.
Click to expand...

What are the logistics of this? Is it something you guys are doing by hand or your EMR handles this for you?
 
We use RavePoint for our appointments reminders and it does what’s described above - asks them to rate their visit and if they give a high rating it asks them to leave a review on Google. It’s not a particularly cheap system though.
Previously we got almost all negative reviews. I even tried handing out the cards asking for reviews but it never seemed to generate many.
So far we have at least 100 new Google reviews, mostly 5 star. We’ve been using it for less than a year. It’s good for appointment reminders, and we’ve also started using the texting interface to contact patients to schedule new patient consultations, to avoid phone tag.
 
specepic said:
What are the logistics of this? Is it something you guys are doing by hand or your EMR handles this for you?
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The post above answered but was going to say likely 3rd party outsourced. To be clear this is not something my hospital has, just something I've noticed other businesses doing.
 
callmeanesthesia said:
We use RavePoint for our appointments reminders and it does what’s described above - asks them to rate their visit and if they give a high rating it asks them to leave a review on Google. It’s not a particularly cheap system though.
Previously we got almost all negative reviews. I even tried handing out the cards asking for reviews but it never seemed to generate many.
So far we have at least 100 new Google reviews, mostly 5 star. We’ve been using it for less than a year. It’s good for appointment reminders, and we’ve also started using the texting interface to contact patients to schedule new patient consultations, to avoid phone tag.
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How many reviews do you feel is a good number? The more the better, or just need a threshold number? I get suspicious of places with too many all 5s
 
I don’t think I’ve ever asked someone to review me. I discourage my staff to ask for reviews as well. I think my practice offers the staff some gift cards or something for positive reviews but I just don’t like the concept. I tell my MA not to ask for them and I tell her if she’s looking for gift cards I’ll give it to her myself. I’m not selling cars here.

That being said, occasionally I will google myself and it’s nice to know I get good reviews even though I don’t ask for them..
 
Dr. Ice said:
I don’t think I’ve ever asked someone to review me. I discourage my staff to ask for reviews as well. I think my practice offers the staff some gift cards or something for positive reviews but I just don’t like the concept. I tell my MA not to ask for them and I tell her if she’s looking for gift cards I’ll give it to her myself. I’m not selling cars here.

That being said, occasionally I will google myself and it’s nice to know I get good reviews even though I don’t ask for them..
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I think you/staff asking patients directly is awkward and may set up quid pro quo expectations but a generic email or text is very commonplace for any small business
 
I send out personalized emails to satisfied patients asking them to leave a review. The response rate is low. I'm honest about the whole thing- reviews are important because patients don't know who to put their trust in. My practice is relatively new and needs all the help it can get. In a year I've gotten 25 reviews, pretty much all five star. But the interesting part is that most patients leave extensive comments about WHY me and my assistant (they like her too) are the folks you want to see. New patients sometimes comment about the quality of my reviews. Most of my competitors have 1-4 reviews, and if they say anything, it's pretty bland. I don't need 100 reviews to stand out.
 
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Any chance I could get my hospital based practice to adopt something like this? I have my nurse give business card type things with a Google review QR to happy patients. 5.0 review average, but only about 15 in a years time. Would love to have that text system...
 
stsa84 said:
Any chance I could get my hospital based practice to adopt something like this? I have my nurse give business card type things with a Google review QR to happy patients. 5.0 review average, but only about 15 in a years time. Would love to have that text system...
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Probably see if one of the companies (or several) will come give a pitch to admin. They also claim to decrease no-shows. Admin loves that kind of thing.
fwiw I do think I have seen better no-show and same-day cancellation rates since we started. Previously we were using a system that just did automated reminder phone calls and nothing else.
 
Check out Arrivala. Automatically sends review requests. Filters out bad reviews. Posts to Yelp, HealthGrades, FB, google etc. very reasonable price compared to patient pop.

The biggest issue is if your employer’s system allows the patients contact information to be exported to the third party software. Remember they “own” and manage the patients sensitive information.
 
I think you need to have a Google account in order to post a review. Patients who still use aol/yahoo for their email probably won’t be able to. We use Patient Pop and probably have a review rate capture of 1%. That represents the patients who have Google accounts that are motivated enough to write a review AND liked us enough that it gets posted.

How many of y’all take the time and effort to review small businesses? Have you reviewed your own doctors? After starting practice I made a point of leaving good reviews because I could appreciate what a difference it can make for your business. If you didn’t review your dentist you don’t get to be disappointed in your patients…
 
Agast said:
I think you need to have a Google account in order to post a review. Patients who still use aol/yahoo for their email probably won’t be able to. We use Patient Pop and probably have a review rate capture of 1%. That represents the patients who have Google accounts that are motivated enough to write a review AND liked us enough that it gets posted.

How many of y’all take the time and effort to review small businesses? Have you reviewed your own doctors? After starting practice I made a point of leaving good reviews because I could appreciate what a difference it can make for your business. If you didn’t review your dentist you don’t get to be disappointed in your patients…
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I totally agree. I don’t expect to be reviewed , not will I ask for it, nor will I be disappointed if patients either don’t like me and go somewhere else or leave a bad review.

There has to be a difference between what we do and other “sales” related business. And even if there isn’t anymore, I will continue to live in my own fantasy world and believe there is.

I work in an extremely competitive market, so if the argument is that everyone else around me is doing it so better get on board..well maybe, but my stance has not affected my volume..yet
 
Dr. Ice said:
I totally agree. I don’t expect to be reviewed , not will I ask for it, nor will I be disappointed if patients either don’t like me and go somewhere else or leave a bad review.

There has to be a difference between what we do and other “sales” related business. And even if there isn’t anymore, I will continue to live in my own fantasy world and believe there is.

I work in an extremely competitive market, so if the argument is that everyone else around me is doing it so better get on board..well maybe, but my stance has not affected my volume..yet
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My last google review was a one star because we don’t offer same day appts. I gave it a thumbs up
 
Didn't spell my name correctly.
Left out several important details.
I'm still getting over losing this pt.

Screenshot_20181114-120940_Email.jpg
 
ragnathor said:
The reviews without punctuation are the best. Pure stream of of consciousness.
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From his perspective, considering we all experience pain from the vantage point of our lived experiences from childhood to adulthood, and when taking his level of education into account...He has a valid gripe.

From my perspective as an ethical pain physician, he's a fool...
 
Reviews are of little importance to me but if you're concerned about them why not just have your friends and family write them for you?

Why not create more accounts yourself and review yourself?

Why not just get together in this thread or in the private one and exchange info with each other? You can then all agree to write reviews for each other.
 
Pain Applicant1 said:
Reviews are of little importance to me but if you're concerned about them why not just have your friends and family write them for you?

Why not create more accounts yourself and review yourself?

Why not just get together in this thread or in the private one and exchange info with each other? You can then all agree to write reviews for each other.
Click to expand...
Cannot create multiple accounts. IP check will get you caught and banned. Just like SDN.
 
Overall I'm happy with my google reviews which are a mix of "Dr. recommended I stop my opioids and because of this shouldn't be allowed to practice medicine" and "I had a great visit. Dr. did XYZ to help me manage my pain" The actual rating number is relatively low due to the former which I am not sure how that effects referrals, but I like to tell myself it spurs away even more people that aren't appropriate for our program.
 
Hold my beer.
SpineDocSuperstar here.
I like to tell them I was the world’s greatest pain doc but have up the heavyweight title to Derby this year. I make fun of their disability.

Try some of your mom’s oxy and you want an Rx. Delicious.
 
kstarm said:
Overall I'm happy with my google reviews which are a mix of "Dr. recommended I stop my opioids and because of this shouldn't be allowed to practice medicine" and "I had a great visit. Dr. did XYZ to help me manage my pain" The actual rating number is relatively low due to the former which I am not sure how that effects referrals, but I like to tell myself it spurs away even more people that aren't appropriate for our program.
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at least the reviewer is honest and forthright about you stopping "opioids" and not vague "pain pills"
 
If a pain doctor doesn’t have some negative reviews about “medications” they are either doing some shady prescribing or have a no opioid practice and won’t even see patients on opioids.
 
my reviews go from 2 (yahoo i believe) to 3.1 (google) to 95% on Press Ganey score.

im only "concerned" about Press Ganey because of admin.

i havent looked at my online scores since the last time this issue made me curious - i think back in 2018?
 
GoBeers said:
at least the reviewer is honest and forthright about you stopping "opioids" and not vague "pain pills"
Click to expand...
usually they're not. They don't often mention the opioids directly (I wonder why?), but instead say things like "Dr. Rosenrosen doesn't care about people in pain" or "Wouldn't offer me any treatments besides things that don't work"
 
My recent favorite 2 star review points out that I wouldn't prescribe opioids, and I encouraged him to "get clean."

I may or may not have phrased it as "put down the bong."

Regardless, the free advertisement to avoid me if you are fishing for pills was worth the hit to my average # of stars.
 
MitchLevi said:
KILLIN IT BROS!
I'M THE MAN! I'M THE MAN!

View attachment 361335
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Crystal Balistreri

Local Guide·47 reviews·19 photos
2 years ago
If I could give NO STARS I would! They are a joke! They claim they couldn't get their office to verify our insurance. I already had to drive an hour and a half to get here. Then they turn me away 30 minutes after I sat here! So 2 hours of my time wasted bc their insurance department can't do their job. What a complete waste of time!


Could have been 5.0 if insurance approval dept didn't get you this one.
 
lobelsteve said:
Crystal Balistreri

Local Guide·47 reviews·19 photos
2 years ago
If I could give NO STARS I would! They are a joke! They claim they couldn't get their office to verify our insurance. I already had to drive an hour and a half to get here. Then they turn me away 30 minutes after I sat here! So 2 hours of my time wasted bc their insurance department can't do their job. What a complete waste of time!


Could have been 5.0 if insurance approval dept didn't get you this one.
Click to expand...

...humble pie.

pie GIF
 
Unfortunate that Steve didn't get a chance to counsel her on her diet
 
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