When a negative review appears, a healthcare provider has to balance how to respond without breaching patient confidentiality. HIPAA places limits on what can be publicly said, forbidding any confirmation or denial that a patient received care.
It is beneficial to remember that behind every online comment can be a story of human experience and emotion. As one Journal of Medical Internet Research study found, “negative reviews decreased consumers’ physician selection intention.”
Compassionate online responses can soften the impact of negative reviews and may even encourage the reviewer to update or remove their original complaint once their concerns have been addressed. The study goes on to note, “the presence of a physician response decreases the influence of negative reviews through direct and moderating effects.” It is an approach that stands in line with the healthcare ethos, treating patients not as complaints but as partners in care improvement.
An article published in Psychiatry.com provides, “The physician’s reputation, honed through decades of dedication and sacrifice, now hangs at the mercy of keyboard warriors.”
Negative reviews are inherently more attention-grabbing and influential than positive ones. Negative information is perceived as more diagnostic and informative than positive feedback, aligning with the negativity bias in human cognition, which means adverse stimuli produce more intense emotional and cognitive reactions.
This bias means that consumers scrutinize negative reviews more carefully, viewing them as cautionary signals that help avoid risk when confronted with uncertainty in product or service quality. Consequently, businesses facing negative feedback often experience a disproportionate impact on their perceived reliability.
The focus is made worse by the reality that many consumers show skepticism about positive reviews due to phenomena such as fake praise or incentivized endorsements, which are prevalent in online retail. The tendency to distrust overtly positive reviews elevates the credibility of negative feedback, which is often viewed as genuine and informative.
See also: Developing sensitive and informed language in mental health settings
Unlike most industries where customer feedback can be openly acknowledged and discussed, healthcare providers must communicate about online reviews with extreme care to avoid any disclosure of protected health information (PHI). This legal boundary restricts how providers can confirm or deny patient experiences publicly, often forcing responses into a carefully worded space that conveys empathy and willingness to resolve issues without divulging specific details about the case or the individual.
Responding to a negative review in healthcare is never just about customer service; it is also a formal act governed by ethical and legal considerations. Public responses must acknowledge the patient’s dissatisfaction while simultaneously avoiding any admission of fault or clinical detail.
Another JMIR study shows the changing nature of patient-provider relationships through digital channels: “the number of patient votes, letters of acknowledgment, and virtual gifts have also gained importance in reflecting the quality of medical services and the trust between patients and doctors [22,34]. In addition, the activity level of doctors, as reflected in previous consultation records, serves as a direct indicator of service quality. For example, doctors offering health care services through multiple channels tend to increase availability.” It requires specialized training for staff managing online reviews, often at the intersection of communications, legal, and clinical departments.
See also: Top 7 HIPAA compliant email marketing services
In 2016, a ProPublica article reported on several cases in which healthcare providers publicly replied to negative reviews by revealing specific diagnostic or treatment details. One dentist, for example, responded to a patient’s bad review by stating, “Due to your clenching and grinding habit, this is not the first molar tooth you have lost due to a fractured root.”
In Great Wall Medical P.C. v. Michelle Levine (New York), a medical practice filed a lawsuit claiming defamation and other wrongs after a patient posted negative statements online. The lawsuit sought injunctive relief and damages for harm caused by the negative reviews.
Even after legal steps, the dispute escalated. When the patient spoke to media outlets or set up a GoFundMe page, additional negative reviews appeared, and the medical practice pursued enforcement through the courts.
The case study ‘Understanding and Using Patient Experience Feedback to Improve Health Care Quality: Systematic Review and Framework Development’ explains, “Patient experience data is increasingly collected worldwide; however, questions persist regarding how it is used to improve health care quality.” On a case by case basis the heart of every response should radiate empathy, even when words are constrained by privacy rules. Patients who leave negative feedback are often vulnerable and seeking acknowledgement that their feelings and experiences matter.
Healthcare organizations can’t afford to sound distant, defensive, or dismissive. Instead, responses must convey sincere regret that the patient’s experience fell short, coupled with a clear invitation to continue the conversation privately to protect confidentiality. This approach turns a potential flashpoint of dissatisfaction into a bridge of connection.
The above mentioned study also went on to state, “We identified six post-data collection/analysis activities, which were categorized into three main themes: 1) make sense of the data, 2) communicate and explain the data, and 3) plan for improvement.” Based on this the following advice is available when interacting with patients:
See also: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide
Platforms include Google Business, Healthgrades, Yelp, RateMDs, Vitals, and relevant social media channels.
Regular monitoring is needed, ideally daily or weekly, to respond promptly and manage reputation effectively.
They build trust, improve online reputation, balance out negative feedback, and attract new patients.
Unaddressed negative reviews can damage reputation, deter patients, and miss opportunities for quality improvement.