The Importance of Claiming Your Online Presence

An informative article published in Capture Billing states, patients are more in control of the patient-doctor relationship than ever before. The proliferation of third-party healthcare websites, including numerous sites dedicated to reviewing doctors and medical practices, opens up patients to a wealth of new information once restricted only to conversations with their doctor.

Patients can go comparison shopping online for a healthcare provider, just like they do for a hotel or restaurant. It’s almost as if they were walking down the aisle of a supermarket. In fact, there are over 70 popular healthcare-related websites that show information about specific healthcare providers and practices.

According to a 2014 study on patient use of medical practice review sites, 42% of respondents said they consult such sites. That’s a 68% increase over the number of people who visited such sites the previous year! Of those who use the review sites, 49% would be willing to see an out-of-network doctor who had better reviews than one in their plan.

Millennials are particularly plugged into online discussions of their health care experiences. If they’re a key demographic of your target patient persona, you’re either ahead of the curve in managing your online reputation or you’re losing out to those who are.

Today, managing your healthcare practice’s online presence is no longer something that is nice to have – it’s a critical part of your reputation, and it heavily influences patient decisions.

Follow the link below to learn more about claiming your online presence:

Capture Billing – The Importance of Claiming Your Online Presence