Online Review Statistics: Why They Matter

The internet has revolutionized the way patients find a new healthcare provider, and the top way is through online patient reviews. Online reviews are among the first things prospective patients will see when searching the web for information on or about a healthcare provider. But are reviews that important? Let’s dive into the data.

Reviews are important to patients

Reviews matter to patients when it comes to determining which healthcare provider to visit and why. More people are turning to online reviews to select a physician, which can either grow your practice or leave you with less patients than before. Reviews help patients find the perfect physician that meets their expectations. Here are a few statistics that highlight the importance of reviews to patients:

• A 2020 survey showed 77% of people use online reviews as the first step in finding a new physician
• According to Harvard Business Review, “forty-eight percent of our patients say physician ratings and comments provided by other patients influenced their choice of doctor”
• 88% of people trust online reviews written by people they don’t know as much compared to the recommendations of people they do know

As a healthcare provider, you should request reviews

Asking your patients for reviews can be challenging, but it is something that every healthcare provider should do. More and more patients are reading reviews when making decisions about doctors, so having those extra opinions and experiences online can help persuade people to choose your practice. Surveys from various sources reveal that:

• According to BrightLocal, 7 out of 10 people will provide an online review if they are asked
• A positive review history could bring out-of-network patients to your practice, 43% of respondents stated

LEVO Health’s Practice Builder Patient Review system can help you tackle this step. Our platform allows you to request and receive testimonials at scale, helping you build trust and credibility with your past, current, and future patients. With our Practice Builder, you can:

• Add patients easily to request feedback and reviews
• Save time by allowing our system to handle requests, reminders, and personalized content
• Manage and respond right from our system for easy communication
• Market your great reviews to win your next customer with our Review Widget, Conversion Pop-up and other social features
• Get the data and insights you need to manage, make changes, and track progress of your reputation and reviews

Patients read reviews

When searching for the right healthcare provider, people do their research online. This research includes searching for a healthcare provider on Google or other search engines, reading online patient reviews and utilizing social media for input. The online reputation of your practice is often the first impression you make on many potential patients. Here’s why:

• 91% of 18-34-year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
• 71% of patients use online reviews as a way to evaluate and select a new healthcare provider
• Consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business

Why do patients write reviews?

In the healthcare industry, people write reviews to share their experience and help others make a decision whether that is one that benefits your practice or not. Patients who have a positive experience are more likely to return and recommend the practice to others through word-of-mouth or by writing an online review. This is also relevant to patients who have a negative experience with your practice.

• According to a survey conducted by GatherUp, 33% of customers leave a review when the experience was really good or really bad
• 84% of patients regularly consult review sites to view or post comments and ratings of healthcare staff

Contact Us

Interested in hiring a professional marketing team to help grow your practice and optimize the patient experience? Contact the healthcare marketing experts at LEVO Health today by calling 855-234-0232 or visiting our contact page online.