More Than Stars: Using Reviews to Strengthen the Patient Experience

Online reviews are more than just comments—they’re a powerful tool for understanding what patients value and identifying ways to improve their experience.

Patients today aren’t just skimming for five-star ratings. They’re looking deeper, evaluating factors like expertise, chairside manner, wait times, and the full patient experience. These insights often hold more weight than a star rating and directly influence a patient’s decision to book an appointment.

Positive reviews can reinforce what your team is doing well—like a welcoming front desk or a compassionate chairside manner—while constructive feedback, when approached with compassion, can highlight areas for growth. For example, consistent comments about long wait times may point to scheduling inefficiencies that could be improved. When feedback becomes a regular part of your operational review, you move from reactive adjustments to proactive enhancements.

To capture feedback from a diverse range of patient experiences, it’s important to use a thoughtful communication strategy. Although email remains the most commonly used method for requesting feedback, text messaging is often more immediate. Using both helps you reach patients in the way that’s most convenient for them. From managing review and reputation services for our clients, we’ve seen firsthand that Google continues to dominate—not only as the primary platform where patients leave reviews, but also where patients go to read them. Monitoring and responding to reviews on healthcare-specific platforms, like Healthgrades, is just as important. Staying active across review platforms helps ensure your practice is discoverable, trustworthy, and ready to meet patients where they’re looking.

When used thoughtfully, reviews become more than feedback—they become a roadmap. They help you understand what matters most to your patients and how your practice is being perceived at every touchpoint. By actively listening, responding, and incorporating that insight into your operations, you’re not just managing your reputation—you’re building a stronger, more patient-centered practice.


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