# Answer every review, and never confirm a patient

By Ali Peivandizadeh, business growth and AI implementation specialist.
Published Nov 13, 2026. Last checked Nov 13, 2026. Last changed Nov 13, 2026.
Section: Marketing. Verdict: ACT
Who it is for: All practices. 1 to 30 providers. Owner, manager.

In one survey, 66% of patients said a provider's reply to reviews affects their trust. Reply to every review this month, with wording that never confirms the writer is a patient. Then ask every patient for a review, and not only the happy ones.

## Why
rater8, a company that sells review tools, surveyed 992 US adults in April 2026. In the survey, 66% said that seeing a provider respond to reviews influences their trust. That was 42% a year before. Three in four said they will not book with a provider rated below 4.0 stars. And 68% said they would leave a review if their doctor asked. The survey comes from a company that sells this service, so read the numbers as a direction. The reply is where practices get into trouble. A reply that mentions the visit confirms that the writer is a patient.

## Steps
1. List every site where patients review you: Google, Yelp, and the booking and health sites.
2. Count the reviews from the last 12 months that have no reply.
3. Write two standard replies with your privacy officer or lawyer: one for praise and one for a complaint.
4. Keep each reply general. Thank the writer, state your policy and give a phone number.
5. Say nothing about a visit, a treatment or a bill, even when the review does.
6. Give one person the job of replying within two working days.
7. Ask every patient for a review at checkout, the same way each time.
8. Each month, write down your star rating and the number of new reviews.

## Cost and time
No cost. About two hours to write the replies, then a few minutes a day.

## The rule to check
Federal privacy law bars a practice from revealing that someone is a patient without written permission, even when the patient wrote the review. No fake reviews, no paid reviews, and no asking only happy patients.

## What can go wrong
A staff member who writes a personal, detailed reply to an angry review can create a privacy complaint. Use only the two standard replies, and move the conversation to the phone.

## Sources
- rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report, survey by a company that sells review tools, Jun 6, 2026: https://rater8.com/2026-patient-choice-report/

General business information, not medical or legal advice.

Page: https://healthcaregrowthjournal.com/marketing/answer-every-review-and-never-confirm-a-patient/