This post has been modified to reflect new information since its original publication.
Hospitals have always valued their public image, but most have not viewed it as a strategic priority until recently.
However, the growing number of online review sites, shifting patient demographics, and evolving insurance rules are now leading hospitals across the country to realize that they must proactively manage their online reputations in order to succeed in today’s healthcare marketplace.
Why do I need to worry about my hospital’s reputation?
The extent to which patients report positive experiences at a hospital directly affects a facility’s bottom line.
For example, insurance payers are increasingly using patient satisfaction ratings to judge a healthcare organization’s quality of care.
This is altering how payers structure their reimbursement agreements, leading to new kinds of partnerships between hospitals and payers based specifically on patient experience.
Eclipsing reimbursement in terms of its effect on revenue is a hospital’s ability to attract and retain patients. So, negative feedback is not good.
As consumers pay more and more for healthcare, they are increasingly motivated to comparison shop for providers on review sites like Yelp and Healthgrades.
This is especially true for younger individuals, who have come of age during the digital revolution and routinely use online review sites to inform nearly every aspect of their lives.
As a result, hospitals and healthcare professionals with better online reputations are likely to draw more patients.
In fact, according to a Software Advice study, nearly half of consumers would go out of their insurance network to see a healthcare provider with favorable reviews.
Conversely, a patient who experiences an unsatisfactory hospital stay that causes him or her to never return costs that facility roughly $500,000 over the person’s lifetime, according to US Census Bureau statistics.
This figure grows exponentially if that individual leaves a negative online review about the medical practice that influences others to avoid the hospital.
Further damaging your hospital’s reputation is the fact that each unhappy patient tends to share his or her experience with an average of 11 individuals. In contrast, an article from Business Insider showed that in 2020 “ 40% of a hospital salary was at risk” when patient loyalty dives.
This is another point that proves hospitals shouldn’t ignore online reputation management and positive feedback.
How do I improve my hospital’s reputation?
So, now you understand why you need to control your hospital’s reputation, but how do you go about it?
Here are nine things every facility needs to do to effectively manage its image:
1. Find out what people are saying about your hospital
You can’t do anything to repair or strengthen your hospital’s reputation if you only have a vague idea of what your stakeholders are saying about it.
A good way to research your facility’s image is to survey all those who interact with the hospital, including community members, vendors, physicians, and employees.
This will give you a well-rounded picture of your facility’s image.
It’s also a good idea to go online and search out various healthcare provider review sites to see how people rate the doctors affiliated with your hospital. Social media platforms are also a good source to check.
Additionally, you’ll find valuable information in employee posts on employer review sites like Glassdoor. You’ll find out fast if you have a positive reputation.
Finally, do a Google search of your hospital to see what kinds of results appear. Is the public perception strong? Are the opinions mostly positive, negative, or neutral? Are there any common concerns that the hospital should address?
After you have researched your hospital’s reputation, you can begin to categorize the types of issues you are facing.
Systemic problems, like unclear billing policies, poor staff training, patient care, and so on, should take priority over one-off complaints about a particular physician, although you should certainly address these later.
2. Prioritize the patient experience
A positive customer experience and excellent care have many repercussions beyond just making patients happy, including the following:
Better reviews: Structuring services with the patient’s needs in mind can help hospitals avoid garnering negative reviews and earn positive ones instead.
It can also elevate the hospital’s standing in the industry by improving scores on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), which ranks the best US hospitals.
This survey includes many patient-centered measures, such as the quality of communication between patients and providers, pain medication processes, the thoroughness of discharge information, and improved patient health.
This survey is focused on strong healthcare practices and effective healthcare reputation.
Better patient outcomes: A patient-focused hospital experience can also lead to greater patient cooperation and better hospital performance.
For example, research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (PDF) shows that the Georgia Health Sciences Medical Center saw a 62 percent decrease in medication errors, a 40 percent drop in falls, and a 50 percent decline in average length of stays as a result of implementing policies to expand patient and family engagement.
Better business outcomes: Patient-centered systems of care can not only lead to consistently improved hospital performance, but they can also promote better business outcomes (PDF) and increase long-term earnings. Research from Accenture even shows that patient-centered care can result in a 50 percent expansion of a hospital’s profit margin.
One reason for this better business outcome might be that patient-centered hospitals actively engage all stakeholders, which causes them to be more efficient.
These facilities may reduce waste of materials and staff by encouraging streamlined processes, better patient education, and fewer diagnostic tests and referrals.
Another reason for the increase in hospitals’ bottom line may be that patient-centered facilities tend to enjoy a larger market share.
Therefore, facilities that offer a patient-centered model can have a competitive edge over those that rely on traditional methods of care.
3. Respond to negative reviews
The best way to reduce the impact of bad reviews is to respond to negative comments and customer feedback quickly and thoughtfully.
When replying, be sure to be courteous.
Many people will judge you on how you respond to criticism, so it’s best to take the high road.
Moreover, if the review is especially rude, readers will be able to see the obvious contrast between the two vastly different tones.
You should apologize and attempt to resolve the issue if the hospital is at fault. Sometimes, just letting critics know that you have heard them is enough to get them to remove their negative comments.
Responding calmly can begin to build your social proof as a caring hospital and help paint the positive image you want the world to see.
If the poor review lacks some important details you can disclose without violating HIPAA regulations, you should briefly and nonjudgmentally provide them in your response. The missing information can clear up any misconceptions or, on occasion, negate the critic’s argument entirely.
4. Give your website a checkup
Next, you need to ensure your website represents your hospital in the best possible light.
It needs to be accessible, mobile friendly, easy to navigate, and comprehensive. It also needs to clearly display the information most people are looking for. A website that frustrates potential patients will only generate more negative reviews.
For example, your hospital website should make it easy for potential patients to find a search tool that will let them know if the hospital takes their insurance.
Patients should also be able to effortlessly access an up-to-date provider directory and a link to patient testimonials and reviews.
5. Build a strong social media presence
Social media is a key component of every hospital’s successful reputation management plan: not only does it provide you with a cheap and effective method for promoting your brand and telling your hospital’s “story,” but it also helps you stay in touch with patients and their families.
However, many hospitals underutilize social media, limiting themselves to a few generic tweets or posts each week.
To develop a more comprehensive social media reputation campaign, you need to view your hospital as a unique and diverse community, with a vast array of specialized groups and initiatives, for which the outreach and engagement possibilities are nearly endless.
For example, if a certain department is hosting a health fair or obtaining new technology, you can use these opportunities to connect with the community through Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.
You can also take advantage of special occasions, like National Nurses Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or World Alzheimer’s Day, to reinforce your brand. For example, you could highlight your staff, promote awareness, or encourage community members to share their own experiences and pictures related to the particular issue.
6. Highlight your staff
Highlighting physician profiles should be part of any hospital’s reputation-building campaign. By showcasing your staff’s experience and friendliness, you’ll put potential patients at ease and attract more patients for your staff to meet.
One way to demonstrate the professionalism and competency of your team is to have an oncologist, for example, discuss the steps of chemotherapy in a short video on your website in a confident and informed manner. This will not only reassure potential patients but will add to the volume of positive online content about your hospital.
7. Share the experiences of former patients
When it comes to hospital recommendations, people value the opinions of former patients the most. Take advantage of this fact and ask former patients to share their positive experiences on your hospital’s website or social media pages. Just be sure to get the proper permissions from the subjects in the photos before using any photos posted by patients in your other marketing initiatives.
8. Engage with the online healthcare community
To establish your hospital as a thought leader in the healthcare community, you should regularly join in community discussions on healthcare-related websites. Your goal here should be to solidify your facility’s reputation as a healthcare authority, not to promote your services. Don’t take over the discussion. Instead, just listen and respond to a comment if you can provide some value.
9. Continue to monitor your hospital’s online reputation
Unfortunately, there is no point at which you are “done” managing your hospital’s reputation.
Maintaining a positive professional image takes constant vigilance and effort. Not only will you have to aggressively track your online reviews, but you will also need to consistently post your own content to position your hospital in the best possible light.
To get started grab your free online report card. It’s going to tell you exactly how your hospital’s reputation looks online through the eyes of the internet. It’s a fast, free way to see your hospital’s online reputation score. Then you can move on to the next step.
If you already know you need help with your hospital reputation strategy, contact an expert today. We’ll gladly help you plan and implement an image management campaign to help your hospital put its best foot forward.