In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the practice of seeking recommendations from friends and family about healthcare providers has shifted from quiet, private conversations to a resounding crescendo on the internet. Word-of-mouth has migrated to the world of online reviews, becoming a phenomenon that healthcare professionals simply cannot afford to overlook.
With 90% of patients using online reviews to evaluate providers, and 84% placing as much trust in them as recommendations from friends (a figure that rises to 91% among those aged 18-34), it’s evident that online reviews play a significant role in the decision-making process when choosing healthcare providers. In this blog, we will explore how you can leverage Doctify to succeed in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Understanding patient behaviour: why more patients are turning to online feedback
In an age where the digital world is at our fingertips, it’s no surprise that patients have adapted their approach to choosing healthcare providers. They increasingly rely on online reviews as a primary source of information and guidance taking advantage of the collective wisdom of the internet as it’s not only efficient and easily accessible, but it also offers a diverse range of perspectives.
These patients aren’t only seeking specialists; they’re looking for the best expert to meet their specific medical needs. In the past, patients relied on GP referrals or recommendations from friends, but now they’re taking control of their healthcare decisions. They seek professionals with a wealth of peer recommendations and patient feedback available online that align with their specific medical needs, particularly for specialised treatments or conditions.
At Doctify, we use treatment tags, allowing patients to filter feedback related to their treatment. This makes it easy for patients seeking procedures like hip replacement surgery or cataract surgery to find experienced providers with relevant reviews, fostering a patient-centric approach to healthcare decision-making.
The rise of private healthcare
As more individuals turn to private healthcare, making a substantial financial commitment to ensure they receive the best possible care, it is understandable that online reviews serve as a crucial source of information. When considering procedures at private hospitals, they often lack the familiarity and firsthand knowledge that come with a long-standing relationship with a healthcare provider.
In the absence of direct personal experience online reviews step in as a substitute for this familiarity, offering valuable insights into experiences of other patients who have undergone similar procedures in private healthcare settings. They offer a glimpse into the quality of care, the professionalism of the healthcare providers, and the overall patient experience. This information empowers prospective patients to make informed decisions, reduce uncertainty, and build trust in their choice of a private healthcare provider.
How to excel in the online review space
Collecting a handful of star rating reviews every couple of months or years simply won’t cut it in the world of healthcare reviews. Patients nowadays are searching for recent feedback, genuine stories they can connect with, and recommendations from other providers. Here’s how you can stand out and make a lasting impact in the online review space.
1. Leverage automation: 85% rely on up-to-date reviews
Asking patients for feedback directly at the end of appointments or relying on manual methods is often inefficient and can easily be forgotten or deprioritised, especially in busy healthcare settings where time is often limited. But with 85% of patients considering reviews older than three months irrelevant, it’s clear that healthcare providers should prioritise fresh feedback collection to offer the recency and authenticity that patients seek. Some doctors may fear that automating patient feedback requests can lead to more negative reviews than they’d expect. However, research shows that 68% of patients trust reviews more when they see a mix of good and bad ones.
Providers with more than 50 reviews on Doctify receive four times as many patient enquiries.
Doctify simplifies the process of collecting patient feedback for healthcare providers by seamlessly integrating it into their practice management software. By automating feedback requests, you can significantly reduce administrative tasks and create a self-sustaining system that consistently generates a steady stream of patient feedback. At Doctify, we’ve observed that patients are more likely to provide reviews when they receive automated feedback requests, potentially increasing the number of patient reviews by up to 15%. To optimise your conversion rate, research suggests sending feedback requests between 12 pm and 7 pm, with the most promising times being from 2 pm to 3 pm and 6 pm to 7 pm.
Healthcare providers using Doctify’s automated feedback system are seeing great results. SmileOne Dental Group gathered over 2600 reviews in just six months. Their Horsham branch collected more than 700 reviews in a year, a significant increase compared to the 60 reviews they received on Google over three years.
2. Showcase your expertise with tagged reviews
For 71% of patients, the very first step in searching for a new doctor is to read online reviews. That’s why Doctify’s treatment tags are an essential tool for dominating the online review space. Here’s how it works: when patients provide feedback, they tag their reviews with the specific treatment or procedure they received. This then appears on their published review. Now, when prospective new patients explore your professional Doctify profile, they have the power to filter your reviews using these tags. This empowers them to focus on feedback related to the treatment or procedure they’re seeking.
Dr Angad Dhillon’s Doctify profile clearly showcases his expertise clearly showcases his expertise by displaying how many reviews he has received for specific treatments
Patients can easily filter reviews to find those relevant to their conditions or required treatments.
3. Double your impact with peer endorsements
Patients highly regard healthcare professionals who receive endorsements from their industry peers. These endorsements serve as authentications of your expertise and empower patients to feel more confident when choosing you as their healthcare provider.
On Doctify, you can ask for recommendations from your past or current colleagues, part of a multidisciplinary team or someone who is in your referral network. It’s a good idea to request recommendations related to your various specialties. This shows you’re skilled in those specific areas, which helps patients looking for specific treatments.
Each peer endorsement is also tagged with a treatment tag, acting as an additional stamp of approval that boosts patients’ confidence in your expertise and assures them that you’re the right expert for their specific needs.
4. Boost your onsite conversion by up to 25% with Doctify review widgets
With Doctify, you can seamlessly weave the real stories of your patients into your online narrative. Our user-friendly widgets let you effortlessly share patient experiences and ratings, giving your website the authenticity and trustworthiness it deserves.
Let’s say you’re an orthopaedic surgeon, and you have a landing page all about knee replacement surgery, explaining what it involves, the risks, and recovery. To encourage more people to choose you as their surgeon, you can utilise Doctify widgets to display reviews from patients who have undergone knee replacements at your practice. This can boost your onsite conversion rate by up to 25%, as individuals interested in the treatment can read verified patient reviews directly on that page. It helps them to see you as the expert they’ve been searching for.
Not yet signed up with Doctify?
If you haven’t joined the Doctify community yet, now is the time. Our platform is designed to assist you in becoming a trusted healthcare provider, gaining credibility with prospective patients, and remaining at the forefront of the online review landscape. Join us today to unlock the full potential of your practice.
Ready to harness the power of online reviews and elevate your practice?
