The Increasing Impact of Online Reputation for Todays Medical Professionals

ONLINE REVIEWS AND THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY

Bruce E. Bekkar, M.D. Philip R. Devore, D.D.S Robert H. Kaplan, P.h.D.

The Medical Industry in the Digital Age Healthcare is a complex field with an ongoing proliferation of sensitive information, and digital migration has not been an easy task. However, consumers have proven voracious in their appetites for all things digital and theyre not inclined to wait for the medical industry to catch up. Ready or not, medical professionals are now part of the online review world. Everything is being reviewed online today, including healthcare facilities and doctors. Whats more, consumers are turning to peer-driven online reviews and recommendations to make purchase decisions at an unprecedented rate. For an increasing number of medical professionals, online reputation impacts practice volume and viability. To appreciate this powerful trend, its crucial to understand the following: The growing prevalence of online reviews in a digital, consumer-driven world; Why more medical professionals are paying attention to - and actively addressing - online reviews; How management of online reputation can impact revenue generation in medical practices.

Online Reviews: the rise of online Consumer Feedback In the early days of the Internet, only a handful of websites featured ways for customers to leave reviews. Today, there are many highly trafficked websites dedicated solely to customer reviews alone. Sites like Yelp, Trip Advisor, Merchant Circle and Site Jabber give consumers a place to rate and review all types of businesses. In addition, most online stores now provide consumer review mechanisms for products or services purchased through them.

It takes an entire 20 years to build a reputation, and only 5 minutes to ruin it.

- Warren Buffett There are dedicated review sites for every type of industryincluding healthcare. And these review spaces arent the only source for consumers: social media (eg. Facebook, Twitter) plays an ever-increasing role in circulating consumers opinions, further enhancing their impact.
The New Word of Mouth Online reviews are a powerful form of word of mouth, one without socioeconomic or geographic restrictions. Anyone can post a review online and anyone else can read it. In addition, an increasing number of consumers are making purchasing decisions based on these online reviews. However, research from Cone 1 indicates that while nearly 9 of 10 of consumers trust online reviews, 80% have changed their minds about making a purchase decision solely based on negative online reviews. The research also states that 90% of unhappy consumers will not do business with the same company again. There is more surprising news about consumers online behavior. Data shows 2 that customers are willing to pay extra for well-reviewed products or services- up to 99% more for those rated good or excellent, depending on the category.

Online Reviews and the Medical Industry

Additional research has shown that 95 % of unhappy customers will return to the same company if an issue they point out in an online review is resolved quickly and efficiently.

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Review of Reviews, PeopleClaim.com, https://www.peopleclaim.com/blog/index.php/the-review-of-ratings

Online Reviews and Health Professionals Doctors and Dentists represent the fastest growing segment of online reviews. From 2010 to 2012, the use of online reviews for these professionals nearly doubled, from just over 10 percent to 20 percent 4 . That percentage is still rising- not only through more review sites dedicated to healthcare, but also through social media and mobile apps that allow users to locate, rate and review medical facilities and practices. Some of the top online review websites geared specifically towards doctors and health professionals are: HealthGrades: this combination healthcare locator and review site is the most popular in the U.S., covering 54% of physicians in the country, according to a study by Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division. 5 Vitals: the second-most popular review and recommendation site for health professionals and covers 45% of U.S. physicians. RateMDs: with 25 percent of U.S. physicians reviewed, RateMDs offers substantial information for patients. DrScore: while this review site covers only 13% of physicians, it is still another active and popular review source.

The number of reviews on RateMDs.com, one of the first Physician Review Websites, has grown from 2,475 reviews in 2005 to 112,024 in 2010.
- Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons -

The Loyola study found that the number of reviews per physician on each website range from 0 to 64, with an overall average of 2.4 reviews per physician. It also reported the total number of Americans who use online sources to research healthcare: 50 percent look up their providers online and read reviews, with 40 percent specifically using physician review websites.

Online Reviews and the Medical Industry

Online reviews and Medical Care decisions Data indicates that somewhere between 50 and 60 percent of consumers use online reviews and research to help them make medical care decisions. Some estimates range higher, with the Pew Research Center 6 finding that 72 percent of Internet users have searched for general health information or information about healthcare providers online. One study from multinational services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers 7 finds that 68 percent of those who consult online reviews use them to choose a doctor, hospital, or health plan. The difference in reaction to positive or negative reviews is substantial. While 80 percent of consumers will look for a different provider after reading negative reviews, 90 percent are willing to pay more for providers who have been reviewed positively. Potential Practice Damage from Negative Reviews A case study 8 published by Simon Sikorski, MD, CEO of Healthcare Marketing Center of Excellence, highlighted the negative impact that bad reviews can cause: A medical spa with two Plastic Surgeons received 5 negative reviews due to a failed Groupon campaign. The review site rose in search engine rankings above the results for the spas website. In the next twoweek period, a total of 22 patients canceled appointments and the spa received no calls from new patients.

Negative reviews may escalate as well. Unhappy people tend to share their opinions more widely than satisfied ones. Online, it has been observed that a bad review may spark additional negative comments from others that might not otherwise have been posted. Online Reputation: a Proactive Approach Many physicians and entire healthcare organizations now understand the importance of online reviews, and are taking steps to reduce risk and maximize benefit. In isolated cases, physicians have even tried to sue patients for leaving negative reviews- but they are rarely, if ever, successful- the reviews tending to be protected as freedom of speech. Physicians are all too aware of the risks and significant financial burden of engaging the legal system. The following are best practices in this rapidly evolving field: Monitor reviews: since negative reviews can be damaging to a Practice, its advisable to become aware of them immediately across all websites. Respond rapidly to negative reviews: as noted, 95 percent of consumers will return to a business- and are likely to remove that negative review- if their concerns are addressed quickly. Misconceptions from outdated or incorrect information - are a common problem that can easily be corrected once identified. Generate positive reviews: medical professionals providing high-quality care can encourage patients to leave positive, specific reviews online.
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Digital Doc Survey, ZocDoc

Online Reviews and the Medical Industry

It is really important for physicians to be aware that these sites are out there and that patients are getting information from them, and that the information they get might be skewed.
Richard Kravitz, MD Professor and Co-vice Chair of Research, University of California, Davis
Several leading healthcare professionals and organizations are participating more in social networks and physician review websites: posting complete profiles, monitoring reviews, responding to complaints and actively soliciting positive comments. Services have emerged to assist in this process across the complex landscape of review websites, providing varying levels of service at a wide range of costs. There are a few that specialize in monitoring healthcare related websites and serve physicians and healthplans. Dr. Bruce Bekkar spent more than 24 years as a staff doctor for Kaiser Permanente in the department of Ob/Gyn, and was part of the Clinic leadership team. Bruce is an award-winning author and has appeared numerous times on national television, radio and print media. Dr. Philip Devore practices dentistry in Las Vegas, is a Consultant to the dental industry and associate professor at UNLV where he is Clinical Director of the Faculty Group Practice. He is an expert witness, regularly published, and a leader in marketing and practice development in the dentistry field. Dr. Robert Kaplan, PhD, is the Associate Director of the Master's in Applied Science Program in the School of Medicine at UCSD and an adjunct assistant clinical professor at the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego. Dr. Kaplan is also a founder and partner with The Torrey Pines Health Group, Inc. and a founder of SeniorMetrix, Inc.

2011 Online Influence Trend Tracker, Cone Communications, http://www.conecomm.com/2011coneonlineinfluencetrendtracker

Why Online Reviews Matter, socialmediatoday, http://socialmediatoday.com/sector45/1433331/why-onlinereviews-matter

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The Review of Reviews, PeopleClaim.com, https://www.peopleclaim.com/blog/index.php/the-review-of-ratings

Local Consumer Review Survey 2012-Part 2, Search Engine Land, http://searachengineland.com/local-consumerreview-survey-2012-part-2-120321 Physician Rating Websites Rely on Few Patient Reviews, Loyola Study Finds, Loyola University Chicago, http://hsd.luc.edu/newswire/news/physician-rating-websites-rely-few-patients-loyola-study-finds
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Health Online 2013, Pew Research Center, http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/01/15/health-online-2013/

Scoring Healthcare: Navigating Customer Experience Ratings, PwCs Health Research Institute, http://www.pwc.com/us/scoringhealthcare

Implications of a Doctors Online Reputation, Slideshare.com, http://www.slideshare.net/HealthcareMarketingCOE/doctor-reputation-management-13770038 Digital Doc Survey, ZocDoc http://www.slideshare.net/zocdoc/doctor-survey-infographic

Online Reviews and the Medical Industry