HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) protects patient information and can limit how companies should be responding to negative reviews. We recommend remaining as generic as possible in responding to patient-written reviews, so as not to violate any privacy policies.
Here are two best practices when responding to these reviews:
Avoid validating any accuracies in the review
- Even if the patient stated that they visited, do not thank them for visiting
- If the patient lists specific symptoms, do not confirm or deny this is accurate
- Don’t confirm that the reviewer is in fact a patient
Follow up directly with patient for urgent issues
- If the patient is complaining about a medical issue, call or email the patient directly (using the "Contact the Customer" feature), rather than posting a company response