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Hey again — it’s Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

Wondering how much impact review sites like Healthgrades have on new patient acquisition?

You’d be surprised just how important they are (and how much they can help your online visibility)👇

But first, a quick win: If you haven’t claimed your business on Apple Business Connect (this is free), do that now.

Doing so (and filling out your business profile) ensures your business is listed properly on Apple Maps.

In This Week’s Email:

• [1 min] Signs of Life: Wake up your waiting room

• [4 min] Beyond Star Ratings: Turn reviews into your revenue engine

• [30 sec] Timely Tools: We told you to do things. Here are some free tools to help you do the things.

QUICK TIPS

Quick Tips: Banners & Signage

Your waiting room walls aren’t working hard enough for your practice.

Enter signage.

Strategic signage can do more than just point patients to the restroom—it can actually improve their entire experience before they even see you.

So let’s make those big, dumb walls work smarter with a signage facelift that 1.) gives patients a positive first impression, and 2.) sets up your appointments for success.

🤝 Make First Impressions Count

Your entrance and waiting area should have signs that:

• Welcome patients warmly (beyond just stating your practice name)

• Clearly explain check-in procedures

• Display any current safety protocols or policies

• Include your practice's mission or values

• Show off your credentials and specialties

These signs aren’t meant to replace a warm welcome and instructions from your front office staff, they’re meant to augment the patient’s introduction to your practice.

Pro tip: Every piece of signage is a chance to reinforce your unique value proposition. Don't just inform—differentiate!

📚 Educate While They Wait

Transform wait time into productive time with:

• Relevant health tips for your specialty

• Seasonal wellness reminders

• Information about services you offer

• Patient success stories (with express, written permission or fully anonymized for HIPAA compliance*)

• Clear explanations of common procedures

• FAQs about insurance, billing, or procedures

Remember: An educated patient is more likely to understand and say 'yes' to recommended treatments and additional services. Your signage can lay that groundwork before they ever sit in your chair or lay on your table.

*Always ask a lawyer. This is not legal advice.

🪧Best Practices for Display

Start making your signs easier to read by placing them at eye level.

Additionally:

• Use high contrast colors (but avoid red/blue combinations which cause eyestrain)

• Select clear, readable fonts (serif fonts work best)

• Include both text and universal symbols (🛑, ✅, ✍🏼) that will stand out

• Keep messages concise and action-oriented

• Use local language when appropriate, ya’ll

💰 Marketing Multipliers

Turn passive walls into active marketing tools by:

• Highlighting patient testimonials* (with express, written permission or fully anonymized for HIPAA compliance) that showcase your expertise

• Featuring before/after examples of successful treatments*

• Promoting complementary services patients might not know about

• Showcasing any specialized technology or unique approaches you offer

• Building trust through displayed credentials and awards

*Always ask a lawyer. This is not legal advice.

Why It Matters

1. When patients feel informed and engaged during their wait, they report significantly higher satisfaction with their overall visit.

2. Healthcare facilities with optimized signage report up to 35% shorter perceived wait times.

3. Plus, educated patients tend to ask more relevant questions during their appointments, making your time with them more productive.

That, my friends, is a win-win!

MAIN CONTENT

Reviews That Recruit: Turning Patient Feedback Into Practice Growth

4 min. read

You know reviews are important. But do you know how important?

The numbers tell a clear story: 90% of healthcare patients use online reviews when evaluating providers, and most make their decision after reading just 5-6 reviews.

77% say these reviews accurately reflect their actual experience.

For practice owners and marketers, this means online reviews aren't just feedback—they're one of your biggest patient acquisition opportunities.

👀 Where Your Future Patients Are Looking

While there are many review sites out there, Healthgrades deserves special attention because it houses a unique profile of every single doctor in America that they regularly update via your NPI number.

Because of this, they often appear near the top of search results for phrases like, “Dr. Smith reviews”–even though Dr. Smith may have never claimed or created their profile.

Sites (often called “citation directories”) like Healthgrades, WebMD, RateMDs, and of course your practice’s Google Business Profile, help potential patients form their first impression of you.

This happens whether they ever call your office or make an appointment online.

⭐️ Essential Review Sites for Healthcare Providers

To maximize your visibility where patients are searching, claim and optimize your crucial profiles.

Often, claiming your profile will allow you to add critical practice information and ensure details such as your hours, location, and website are updated.

If you fit into one of the categories listed above, you can look at their listings. We’ve also compiled the most essential sites below (not including Apple Business Connect, which we listed in the into to this email).

Focus on the following:

For Everyone

1. Google Business Profile (Formerly Google My Business)

• Most important for local visibility

• Free and relatively easy to claim

• Appears in Google Maps and local search results

• Critical for "near me" searches

2. Yelp

• High visibility in local searches

• Free and easy to claim

• Critical for overall online reputation

• Influences Google rankings through review signals

For Physicians & Many Other Clinicians

3. Healthgrades

• Healthcare-specific platform

• Automatically creates profiles for licensed providers

• Important for specialty-specific searches

• High visibility in medical searches

4. WebMD & Vitals

• Trusted healthcare resources with high search visibility

• Both linked - claiming WebMD auto-claims Vitals

• Free profile claiming available

• Automatically generates provider profiles

• Integrates with many healthcare systems

5. RateMDs

• Healthcare-specific reviews

• Popular with patients

• Free basic listings

• Strong presence in local searches

Pro Tip: Keep your information identical across all platforms to maintain consistency and professionalism.

🙋‍♀️ Turning Reviews Into New Patients

The best way to combat negative reviews? Get more positive reviews.

Here's your action plan:

1. Claim & Optimize Your Profiles

• Verify your contact information is accurate

• Add your specialties and conditions you treat

• Include insurance accepted and hospital affiliations

• Upload a professional photo

• Add photos of your office to help new patients feel familiar before arriving

2. Monitor & Engage (Safely)

Reviews require thoughtful engagement—but healthcare providers face unique challenges when responding, due to HIPAA and state or local privacy laws.

🚨 HIPAA & Online Reviews: What You Need to Know When Responding Publicly

If you choose to respond publicly:

• Never confirm someone is (or was) a patient

• Don't reference any details about visits, conditions, or treatments

• Avoid any information that could identify the patient

• Have your legal team review your response strategy and templates

• Remember: This article provides general information, not legal advice

For negative reviews, instead of: "I'm sorry about your experience during your appointment last Tuesday..."

Try something generic**, ex: Our practice takes all feedback seriously. While we cannot discuss specific situations due to privacy laws, we encourage anyone with concerns to contact our office directly at [phone number].

**Not legal advice. Always consult your attorney and follow HIPAA guidelines.

3. Build Your Review Pipeline

With 81% of consumers reporting dissatisfaction with their healthcare experience, standing out with positive reviews gives you a major competitive advantage.

Develop a systematic approach for gathering feedback that:

• Makes it easy for satisfied patients to share experiences

• Follows all privacy guidelines

• Focuses on quality over quantity

• Never offers incentives for reviews (which is against most platforms' policies and ethically bleh)

Pro tip: I bet you could put a QR code on one of those signs you put up by the sign-out desk/exit that links directly to where someone can leave you a review on Google, Healthgrades, etc…

4. Use Reviews to Improve & Market Your Practice

Since 77% of patients say reviews accurately reflect their experience, use this feedback to:

• Identify and promote your unique strengths

• Address common patient concerns before they become reviews

• Train staff on what patients value most

• Highlight positive experiences in your marketing materials

• Guide improvements that will attract more patients

Remember: Every review is a marketing opportunity.

Positive reviews showcase what you do well, while professional, HIPAA-compliant responses to both positive and negative reviews demonstrate your commitment to patient care and satisfaction.

Helpful Tools

• Choosing Colors for Signs: Some great information about colors for visibility, psychology, and use in signage

• Canva’s Free QR Code Generator

• Create your signs in Canva

• How to Get More Reviews: The basics with templates (not geared toward healthcare, but still relevant)

When you’re ready, here’s how I can help:

• Get a free PPC audit ($500 value): Our digital marketing agency, Cedar Web Agency, specializes in PPC for Healthcare & dental practices. We’d love to help you find more efficient growth. Use the promo code: HMVSUB25 to get your free Pay-Per-Click Ads Audit.

• Partner with us for digital marketing: We partner with dental and healthcare practices—no matter your practice area or specialty—to get them more patients.

That’s All for Now

Have a great week and remember—your walls can talk.

See You Next Week,

Steve