For several years, data has shown that consumers use online searches to find healthcare services and providers. A new study from Reputation found that this continues to be true, with consumers increasing their use of digital means, including reviews and star ratings, to find quality care. 

Additional findings from the report include:

• A 50% increase in review volume for hospitals and a 58% increase in review volume for physicians since 2020.
• Google is the most popular internet source, over provider and physician websites, healthcare-specific websites or social media.
• 75% of adults read online patient reviews for decision making on physicians or healthcare facilities.
• 72% of healthcare consumers look for a rating of at least 4 out of 5 stars when deciding on a health facility or physician.
• Facilities saw an average star rating of 4.4 in 2021, a 0.05 point increase over 2020.
• Physicians saw an average star rating of 4.7 in 2021, a 0.03 point drop from 2020.
• 65% of adults expect providers to respond to reviews.

Reputation offers these tips for improving your organization’s ratings and reviews:

• Work to improve reputation scores by:
  • Asking providers to request reviews and respond to the reviews they receive.
  • Using patient feedback to improvement patient experience.
• Analyze patient feedback with a feedback hub.
  • Use various sources for patient feedback, including surveys and social media.
  • All feedback should be collected in a central location to get an overall view of the feedback.
  • Use data from feedback to prioritize further actions.
• Make sure your Google Business profiles are optimized.
  • Ensure that all physician and facility information is current.
  • Provide for communication between patients and physicians through the profile.
  • Physicians should monitor their feedback and respond.
• Create an employee experience program if you don’t have one or enhance your existing program.
  • Collect and listen to feedback from employees to improve retention.
  • Be transparent in all employee communications.
  • Remember that employee unhappiness can be reflected in patient experience.

How are the reviews and star ratings for your organization?