Patient Reviews & The Power of Content

LOST REFERRALS = LOST REVENUE:  Series (4 of 5)

Previously we discussed the growing trend of Online Appointment Scheduling and how it can benefit your organization.  In this article, we look at another growing trend – Patient Reviews, and how Patient Education Content is at the heart of search engine qualifications.

Five-Star Ratings & Patient Reviews

Over the past five to seven years, websites which specialize in online reviews have grown increasingly popular.  The travel industry is heavily influenced by Trip Advisor; Angie’s List and Home Advisor dominate home repair.  Shopping websites feature reviews by customers; a positive review on Google is cherished as a grand award.  And Yelp* can make or break a restaurant (a healthcare provider too).

[FUN FACT (?): Founder, Jeremy Stoppelman, developed Yelp* when he came down with the flu and couldn’t find an online recommendation for a doctor.  He apparently couldn’t find a restaurant that served good chicken soup either.]

The latest trend is Star Ratings, similar to those traditionally awarded to hotels.  Companies such as Doctor.com and Binary Fountain collect patient reviews, rate providers and hospitals, and aggregate those results to other websites such as hospitals and individual provider websites.

As a healthcare provider, you may love or hate patient reviews for many reasons, but there’s no doubt they exert considerable influence on your patient’s decisions.  Search engines love them because they offer fresh, new consumer content.  They do have their proper place, particularly on your own website where you decide how to present them and where they best belong.

The Power of Content - Patient Education

Much has been written on SEO strategies and techniques to boost positioning on search engines.  But it pays to consider the primary function of a search engine: Answer the visitor’s question.

For healthcare providers, this connects to a popular buzz phrase, Patient Engagement.  Engagement is getting patients to interact with your organization where they become active in decision-making and constructive in their behaviors, all in the effort to achieve positive clinical outcomes.

You can appeal to a search engine and simultaneously engage your patients using extensive Patient Education Content:

• Answers questions and satisfies a search engine’s primary function;
• Provides search engines with information about your organization and its providers;
• Establishes expert authority on healthcare subjects;
• Validates patient referrals (perhaps the most important);
• Educates patients and reduces questions during examinations and consultations.

While patient education is not the sole answer to positioning in search engine results, it should be at the top of your list of strategies.

Next, we tie this all together – Lost Referrals, Distracted Patients, Online Appointments, Ratings & Reviews, and Patient Education Content – all within a simple-to-use, self-service online product.

See ALL Articles in this Series

Interested in Learning More About How You Can Reduce Lost Referrals? Contact Dr. Leonardo Today.

For more information, contact Dr. Leonardo today. We can also be reached directly at 516-586-1300.