Have you checked out your Healthgrades profile recently? Your Healthgrades profile can be a powerful tool for acquiring new patients, and sharing positive patient experiences when used correctly.
Did you know that 44% of patients are looking online to research their physician, and 1 in 5 are using online physician rating sites? 1 And when people research a physician online, it’s likely that Healthgrades will be one of the first listings in their search results.
What is Healthgrades?
Healthgrades is a health care quality ratings and services company that uses administrative data (such as Medicare claims data and state abstract data) to rate the performance of many hospitals and physicians in the United States. According to recent research, nearly half of all American healthcare patients visit healthgrades.com seeking trustworthy information to give them confidence in choosing a new physician or provider.2 Healthgrades hosts a database of 3 million healthcare providers throughout the United States.
How it Works
According to Healthgrades, they have a proprietary processes and algorithms to select, compile and adjust the data to generate their hospital ratings. Although there is limited information provided by Healthgrades about publishing reviews, most reviews are automatically published. We typically see that most patient reviews are published and appear instantly after they are submitted on the Healthgrades website. Yelp and Google, on the other hand, have algorithms where all reviews may not ever be published.
How to Use Healthgrades to Manage Your Online Reputation
If you have a medical license, chances are a Healthgrades profile has already been generated for you. However, the default information in your profile could be incorrect or incomplete. It’s very important for you to confirm and update information in your profile, and also ensure it is linked to your website.
Here are 4 simple steps to make Healthgrades a great marketing tool for your practice:
1. Claim Your Healthgrades Profile
Search your name in Healthgrades and register to claim your profile. It’s free and it puts you in charge of the information in your online profile. And if you don’t have a Healthgrades profile, you can easily register yourself and create a profile. Healthgrades will provide you with an annual report so you will know how many patients reviewed you, how many patient surveys were completed, and how many visits to your profile.
2. Add Your Picture
You likely already have a professional headshot, so add it to your profile! Patients can see who they’re researching and will form a personal connection with you. It humanizes you and it’s more professional than having a generic avatar representing you.
3. Add Awards, Certifications, and Specialties
Highlighting your professional certifications builds an additional level of trust with patients, and it will result in more engagement with your profile. Be sure to include all of your offerings, especially your areas of expertise. Some patients also search for doctors who offer specific specialties, like MIS or robotic surgery, for example. You can also include a list the medical journals and publications where your published work can be found.
4. Add More Information
You should also add additional information to your profile. This will help boost your profile in the search engines, thus building trust with people who are seeking a physician with your services. The most important information to include is a photo; insurance carriers and plans accepted; care philosophy; patient satisfaction (ratings and reviews); provider responses to patient reviews; conditions treated; and procedures performed.
Encourage your patients to review you online - Healthgrades is a great place for them to do that! They can also post a review in Facebook or Google. Remember, positive reviews are great for search engine optimization and can also help you maintain a good online reputation.
Your Healthgrades profile can be a powerful tool for acquiring new patients. Make sure it’s complete and fully optimized to best promote your practice.If you need assistance claiming and updating your Healthgrades profile, Your Practice Online is happy to help.
Sources:
1. PewInternet.org
2. Stax web survey and analysis, March 2017
