Online Reputation Managementfor Orthopaedic Surgeons

Christian Veillette M.D., M.Sc., FRCSCAssistant Professor, University of TorontoShoulder & Elbow Reconstructive Surgery

University Health NetworkDeputy Editor, Information and Communication

TechnologyClinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Email: orthonet@gmail.com

Disclosure

My disclosure is in the Final Program Book and in the AAOS database.

I have no potential conflicts with this presentation.

Objectives

To learn why online reputation management is important

To learn why Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy forms are counter- productive

To learn how to monitor your online reputation

To learn strategies to protect your online reputation

What is online reputation?

Your Internet presence What people see when they “Google

You” Anything that appears in a SERP Your responsibility

You can be the driver of your online reputation or the passive recipient!

Which do you choose?

Where on the Internet are you?

Practice website/blog Free/paid listing Professional assoc sites Published articles /

press releases Quotes in news articles Social media sites

Facebook, Twitter

Social media sites Facebook Twitter

MD review sites Blogs Forums

You Control You Don’t Control

Why is ORM important?

Patients are online Competitors are online Future of your practice is online

You are only as good as your reputation

Health consumers online

59% of all adults in the U.S. look for health information online

80% of Internet users look online for health information 3rd most popular online activity

Most start with a general search engine, rather than a medical vertical

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/HealthTopics/Part-1/59-of-adults.aspx

Looking online for doctors common

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/HealthTopics/Part-1/59-of-adults.aspx

It’s a

Reputation Engine

Growth of physician rating websites

30+ physician rating websites exist in US Top 10

HealthGrades.com Vitals.com Yelp.com YP.com RevolutionHealth.com RateMDs.com Angieslist.com Checkbook.org Kudzu.com ZocDoc.com

Do we really need to worry?

We identified 33 physician-rating websites, which contained 190 reviews for 81 physicians. Most reviews were positive (88%). 6% were negative, and 6% were neutral. Generalists and subspecialists did not significantly differ in number or nature of reviews. We identified several narrative reviews that appeared to be written by the physicians themselves.

Despite controversy surrounding these sites, their use by patients has been limited to date, and a majority of reviews appear to be positive. http://www.springerlink.com/content/

90366h3012414001/

http://www.jmir.org/2011/4/e95/

Do we really need to worry?

Relatively few use hospital ranking and doctor review sites

http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Social-Life-of-Health-Info/Part-1/Section-4.aspx

RateMDs.com

The Good

The Bad

Dealing with a negative online review

Don’t use will-not-review agreements

“Patient will not denigrate, defame, disparage, or cast aspersions upon the Physician; and will use all reasonable efforts to prevent any member of their immediate family or acquaintance from engaging in any such activity”- Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy form

Don’t use “gag contract”

Prone to failure Legal precedent makes it unlikely that

such an agreement would hold up in court Doctors risk alienating patients and

encouraging spite-based online reputation attacks

Dealing with a negative online review

Don’t sue the patient

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/05/doctors-sue-patients-negative-online-reviews.html

No matter what kind of merit he thought the case had, doctors who sue patients for online ratings are going to lose in the more influential court of public opinion.

Steps to control your online reputation

Monitor

Manage

Mitigate

Monitor what people are saying Conduct Google search on yourself once a month Develop a listening process Use alert service to inform you when name used

online Free

Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts/) Socialmention.com Yotify.com

Paid Trackur (www.trackur.com) - $18/month Reputation.com (www.reputation.com/medical) -

$99/month

Monitor

Google AlertsMonitor

 Include variations:• Dr. John Smith• Dr. John C. Smith• Dr. John Smith, MDetc.

MyReputationMonitor

Manage your online presence Be proctive – brand optimize your

content to control the information others find

Maximize the number of search engine result pages (SERPs) that YOU control

SEO and social media push negative reviews down the results

Manage

10 tools/tips to manage your online presence

1. Get your own website Consider branded domain name

Manage

2. Google Places

Registration is free Good for practices/

sole practitioners Show up on Google

Maps

http://places.google.com

Manage

Also: Yahoo Local (http://listings.local.yahoo.com/)

3. Professional Listing Sites

Sites that rank well +/- pay to be listed on Enter search terms that your patient or

referral sources use & see which sites are on top

Manage

Manage

4. Professional Organizations & Groups

Name and web locations (sites, blogs, profiles, etc.) are accurately listed

Link to their sites from yours

5. Create Linkedin profileManage

6. Create Orthopaedia personal space Manage

7. Integrate Blog/Twitter/Facebook

Launch external blogs – Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr

Manage

Manage

8. Share your videos/talks/photos

Create social media profiles

9. Review Physician Compare Sites

• Correct mistakes and false information• Add professional achievements – awards & published articles

Manage

10. Paid AdWords listings

http://adwords.google.com

Manage

Should you hire an ORM company

http://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-reputation-management-companies

Manage

Where to start?Manage

ReputationFriendly.com ReputationChanger.com ReputationHawk.com Reputation.com ReputationManagers.com ReputationManagementKings.com IronReputation.com ReputationManagementConsultants.

com ReputationManagementLLC.com ReputationArmour.com

Mitigate your online reputation risk

Review and respond cordially and respectfully

Encourage and incentivize positive reviews on multiple sites

Provide an easy way for those upset to file complaints on your site

Mitigate

1. Review and respond

Many review websites allow physicians to display professional profiles use to defuse potential attacks & control your

reputation Post factual information to counter critiques Doctor patient confidentiality prevents you

from directly engaging online critics Can address common themes in a general

manner Long waits, slow responses, call back

A creative, positive response exists for virtually any criticism.

When you do find content that addresses a genuine shortcoming, use it as an opportunity to improve your

practice!

Mitigate

2. Encourage positive reviews

Highlight positive reviews, listing the source, on your site

Quote positive reviews, listing the source, on your patient intake forms or information brochures

Create a web address with links to most popular sites and provide card to patient

Create cards with different review site address for each day and provide to patient

Mitigate

3. Let patients complain to you Provide easy way for patients to file

complaints on YOUR site Post a sign in your waiting area saying that

you value patient feedback - in person, by phone, by email or via website

Send follow-up emails encouraging patients to provide feedback

Provide patients with satisfaction survey in office or on website eMerit – Medical Justice

Mitigate

Summary

Use the right tools for you to boost/control your online reputation

Do not engage in any online activities that may endanger your reputation

Treat the development of your online reputation as an integral part of your career and business strategy

Take your Internet presence into your own hands

QUESTIONS?