Patient power is rising. But it is ignored by many medical practitioners, which costs them dearly.
Patients create and share online reviews about your services. Reviews that are indelible judgements and have a direct impact on your reputation – and income. They tell referrers who they want to be treated by, and for most specialists this is happening without any active management.
It is as if specialists do not make the connection between how you treat your patients, your digital reputation, the importance of feedback to referrers, and your future level of referrals.
All this despite
✔ Patients spending hours online. They research their medical conditions; evaluate medical centres and doctors they might use. They scan your website, read your reviews, and make instant judgements about you.
✔ There are hundreds of thousands of Google searches related to health providers each month in Australia. Including:
| doctor / doctors near me | 164,500 |
| medical centre / medical centre near me | 151,000 |
| GP / GP near me | 90,000 |
| optometrists / optometry near me / eye doctor | 65,600 |
| podiatrist / podiatrists near me / foot doctor | 53,300 |
| dermatologist / dermatologist near me / skin doctor | 40,600 |
| gynecologist / gynecologist near me | 30,700 |
| radiology / radiology near me / medical imaging | 28,600 |
| orthopaedic surgeon / orthopedic surgeon near me | 10,900 |
| neurosurgeon / neurosurgeon near me | 5,700 |
Source: Google. Average searches per month, Australia.
It’s real.
✔ Many doctors also use Google to reference a medical condition or specialist. Your reviews are visible and if your overall rating is poor, they unconsciously take that on board.
✔ GPs care about their patients and their experiences of your service.
✔ The patient has a direct influence on up to 32% of all referrals made by GPs to medical specialists.
It’s an increasingly competitive world. Who your potential patients want to be treated by has a direct impact on your financial success.
What You Can Do to Build Your Reputation
As most of your peers will carry on regardless, it does present an opportunity. To take control of how your business is perceived and have a positive impact on your referrals. Done well, it will also grow them.
Success revolves around one thing:
Wear the patient hat and look at everything from their perspective.
There are many steps you can take to achieve this focus on your patients. Enabling you to make positive changes to their experience of you and your practice.