In an ever-evolving digital world, online reviews are becoming vital to the health of any organization. Hospital Yelp reviews can help patients deduct the quality of care, cleanliness of facilities and overall experience at various facilities. Encouraging patients to review your hospital on Yelp can lead to more patients, as long as they’ve had a pleasant experience.
According to a recent study by The Manhattan Institute, Yelp ratings have correlated with higher-quality hospitals in the state of New York. The study also found Yelp to be a reliable and helpful tool for those searching for information on hospitals or attempting to compare hospitals. Though hospital Yelp reviews are still fairly new, the scope of people using them is growing each day. It’s starting to take the place of word-of-mouth reviews, just like many other things in this digital age.
Up to 84 percent of patients turn to review sites to find a doctor, according to a Yelp blog. This means patients are doing the same for hospitals. Encouraging your patients to review your facility online can be the difference of new business or not. Hospital Yelp reviews are not paid or generated in any way, so they are a good way for patients to learn about the facilities they can choose.
Here are some ways to encourage patients to review your health care facility or physicians on Yelp:
- Place flyers and reminders around your facility urging patients to write a review.
- If a patient asks a worker how they are able to leave a comment or review, have the employee direct them to Yelp.
- Make Yelp scores more viewable online. If you have a great rating, share it on social or promote it with advertising methods.
- If patients come in and mention they are there because of great Yelp reviews, ask them to add their own review after their visit!
Yelp reviews also give you a great channel to engage with the reviewers. Though there are HIPAA rules, hospitals are able to respond to comments on Yelp as long as they don’t acknowledge the reviewer as a patient or reveal any personal information. Here are some examples of ways to answer a review on Yelp:
- “Thank you for the review. We continue to strive for excellence in our quality of patient care.”
- “Thanks for your review. If you have a formal complaint to file please visit insert link so we can assist with any issues.”
If your hospital is receiving Yelp reviews, you’re on the right track! If not, it’s time to get with the program and start driving patients to review your facility on Yelp. If you need an employee to help with those efforts, contact an Alliance Healthcare Solutions recruiter to help find an employee to get your Yelp reviews on track.
