What a practice can put on the website and in a public review reply without creating a HIPAA problem.
Among specialty practices with Google reviews in our audit, 51% (59 of 115) had zero owner replies on their newest reviews. The 74 with a Google review total averaged 586 reviews at 4.48 stars. The rating looks fine. Nobody is answering.
A dermatologist in Texas sees a scathing one-star Google review accusing her of a botched procedure. The claims are wildly inaccurate. She knows the full story would exonerate her completely. So she responds with a detailed explanation of the patient's treatment, the informed consent process, and...
Your medical practice website is more than a digital brochure. The moment a patient submits a contact form, fills out an intake questionnaire, or logs into a patient portal, your website becomes a conduit for protected health information (PHI). And the moment PHI enters the picture, HIPAA applies.
Nothing ruins a Monday morning quite like discovering a one-star review from a patient you barely remember. The criticism stings. The public nature feels unfair. Your immediate instinct might be to fire back a detailed rebuttal or simply ignore it and hope it goes away.
