rater8 Study Finds That Online Reviews Inform Care Decisions, But More Than Half of Patients Are Not Leaving Them

Patients Indicate That Online Search and Reviews Have Become as Ubiquitous as Personal Recommendations When Patients Select New Providers

MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — rater8, a leader in healthcare reputation management, today unveiled a report titled, “How Patients Choose Their Doctors,” based on the results of its patient survey, which polled more than one thousand patients aged 18 to 60+ from across the United States to understand the use and importance of online reviews, as well as feedback on other key areas of the patient experience.

The survey confirmed that reviews inform care decisions and play a critical role in a patient’s decision-making process, as 84 percent of patients confirmed they check online reviews before choosing new healthcare providers, and more than half (51 percent) of patients noted that they read a minimum of six reviews. Further, 40 percent of patients noted that reviews have even caused them to stop a care plan in its tracks and change course (canceling an appointment they made or not booking with a provider they planned to see). However, more than half of patients (57 percent) admitted that they rarely or never leave reviews for their providers.

Other key findings from the survey include:

• More than a quarter of patients (26 percent) admitted that they are considering changing providers this year.
• The majority (61 percent) of patients said that personal recommendations would not necessarily sway them if they saw bad reviews for a provider, indicating the growing importance of online reviews.
• Patients deemed primary care providers the easiest to change if they were unhappy (noted by 64 percent) compared with specialist doctors like dermatologists, 32 percent, or ophthalmologists, 22 percent.
• Almost half (45 percent) of patients noted that, when choosing a provider, they are swayed by whether doctors respond to reviews.
• Simply asking a patient to write a review of a practice can be the catalyst, as only 26 percent of patients said they are unlikely to leave reviews if asked by their provider to do so.
• Meanwhile, asking patients for a review immediately after a visit can make a huge difference in the likelihood of the request being completed—47 percent of patients noted that they are most likely to provide a review within a day of their appointment.

“Patients have high standards for care, and they have no qualms about changing providers when their needs aren’t met. We’ve found that physicians and practices being actively involved in soliciting, managing, and engaging with reviews makes a difference,” said Evan Steele, founder and CEO of rater8. “And, while for many everyday things a personal recommendation would still trump online reviews, our survey indicated this is not the case when people are making healthcare decisions. In a landscape where online recommendations are so critical to practice success, driving patients to leave online reviews is just the beginning. Responding to negative reviews helps patients see the full picture from both sides, and responding to positive reviews helps incentivize patients to continue sharing their positive stories about the practice. Providers who are not actively engaging with the reviews they receive are missing an enormous opportunity in the continued evolution of patient expectations and care.”

To request the detailed survey report or explore the methodology, please visit rater8.com.

About rater8
rater8, the healthcare industry’s leader in online reputation management, provides SaaS solutions that help medical practices attract more patients by effortlessly cultivating five-star reviews on leading sites and gathering real-time patient feedback. Based in the United States, rater8 is a rapidly growing healthtech innovator serving hundreds of practices and hospitals of all sizes and specialties. Learn more at https://rater8.com/.

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SOURCE rater8