PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

Online Reputation Management:

The First Steps
Susan Gay,* and Kevin Pho, MD†

Can patients reliably choose a good doctor online? Inevitably, some will. Many *Publisher, InfoBrand Publishing,
Inc., Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania;
doctors are not comfortable being visible online. So if you do not have a blog or e-mail: susang1214@comcast.net.
†Founder and Editor of KevinMD.com,
a social media profile, what shows up when a patient Googles you most likely will and an Internal Medicine Physician at
Nashua Medical Group, Nashua,
be something from an online rating site. This trend can have a profound impact New Hampshire.
on a medical practice. As one of authors (KP) noticed, patients are now saying Copyright © 2013 by
Greenbranch Publishing LLC.
that they found his practice through the Internet, in stark contrast to 10 years
ago, when their information sources were the Yellow Pages or a newspaper ad,
or from calling the local hospital. Below are five key reasons why determining
your online reputation today can pay off in the future. This article will guide you
in establishing your social media footprint and includes a personal story of one
physician’s reaction to conducting a Google search on herself.
KEY WORDS: Physician reputation; online reputation management; practice
management; online reviews.

T
he first step in determining your online reputation
is simple: Google yourself. You may find mixed
results—some positive and some negative reviews.
Most likely, the results of your Google search will
be inconclusive. Most of the rating sites found during a
Google search will contain basic data, such as where you
went to medical school, number of years in practice, and
the names of hospitals where you work. On some sites, that
is all the information you will find. There may be a couple of
reviews from patients; but on many sites, there will be none
at all. Then why waste time looking, you may ask? There are
several reasons why doing a Google search now will pay off
in the future:
1. Establishing a positive presence. Twenty-one percent
of consumers say they now read online reviews for doc-
tors and dentists, nearly double the number (11%) from
just two years earlier.1 Data such as this and numerous
other studies and surveys show that consumer use of
the Internet, not only to find but to comment on their
experiences with healthcare, is growing. If you do not
have many ratings now, consider yourself lucky that
you’re able to get in on the ground floor in establish-
ing a positive online presence and cultivating positive
reviews from your patients. Even your current patients
may be watching!
2. Correcting errors and out-of-date information. You may
find errors in some of your listings and can correct them
so potential patients know where to find you. Most rat-
ing sites allow physicians to manage their basic data.
An old address or telephone number can cost you. If
you have moved to a new practice but the group you
were previously with still exists, potential patients who
call your old phone number will probably be offered
an appointment with a doctor in that group. Your for-
mer practice is not likely to pass on your new contact
information!
3. Having no reputation is as bad as having a negative
reputation. Next year or the year after, when potential
patients do a search and find several physicians’ profiles
that meet their criteria for specialty or geography, do
you really want yours to be the one with no informa-
tion about your practice? Increasingly, patients will be
making decisions based on other people’s opinions.
A straightforward and positive online presence could
boost your business now, as more patients find you and
decide to make an appointment with you based on what
they’ve read.
4. Knowledge is power. No one wants their weaknesses
broadcast to the whole world. Understandably, many
healthcare professionals are nervous about the trans-
parency brought about by social media, especially the

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