When a patient leaves a review, it’s easy to think of it as digital noise — a single rating among many. But a new national report from Tebra, a medical practice management system company based in Corona del Mar, California, shows that online feedback carries real weight, shaping not only a provider’s reputation but also their workflow, finances, and emotional well-being.
In “How online reviews shape patient trust, loyalty, and specialist growth”, researchers surveyed more than 1000 patients and healthcare professionals to explore how online ratings influence trust and decision-making. The findings show that online impressions now play a significant role in whether patients choose to see a clinician at all.
Nearly half of the patients said they regularly read reviews before booking an appointment. Almost two thirds said they had avoided scheduling with a clinician because of a negative one. More than one third said they would not see a provider with an average rating below three stars, underscoring how quickly online sentiment can affect access, trust, and patient flow.
From the provider side, 41% said that reviews contribute to burnout, while nearly half said they never respond to negative comments — even though 71% of patients said they trust clinicians more when they do.
Kevin Marasco, chief growth officer at Tebra, said reviews have become far more than background noise.“Reviews are a shortcut to trust for patients,” he said. “Everyone’s busy, and out-of-pocket costs are on the rise, so naturally, people are looking for reassurance where they can find it when it comes to choosing a healthcare provider.”
“Competency, communication, and respect are essential — your online reviews are a window into what you really offer, and that can be pretty hard to understand from a typical provider bio,” Marasco said.
Changing Digital Landscape
One finding that surprised Marasco was how damaging it can be when a clinician has little or no online footprint.
“Half of patients said having no reviews is just as concerning as having negative ones, and for 1 in 5, a lack of reviews was even more troubling,” he said. “That flips the script on the idea that silence is neutral.”
Tebra found that Google reviews ranked highest in patient trust, with 83% citing it as their most credible platform.
“Online reputation now acts as an access point,” Marasco said. “If a provider’s reviews are weak or outdated, patients may never even get to the scheduling stage.”
How Providers Affected
The report also found that reviews take an emotional toll on clinicians. Online reputation management contributes to burnout, according to 41% of those in the Tebra survey, a finding that resonates across practice settings.
Jennifer Brown, MD, based in Lewisburg, West Virginia, is board-certified in both obesity medicine and family medicine, and provides services through MyObesityTeam while seeing patients remotely through Amwell. She said clinicians take patient relationships seriously, and that’s why it hits hard.
“It’s very disheartening to see negative reviews,” she said. “Most healthcare providers want to do their best for patients and put in extra effort to ensure patients feel well cared for.”
Kenneth W. Kooser, MD, a family medicine specialist with Providence Medical Group in Lacey, Washington, said negative comments can feel intensely personal.
“Physicians are humans, too, and I think my response when I read a negative review is probably similar to many,” he said. “It is easy to take negative reviews personally and feel hurt or despondent or misunderstood. In primary care, we try to really connect with our patients, and reading a negative review can feel like a personal attack.”
Brown said that she does try to consider the context of a negative review when she receives one.
“Some patients are unhappy no matter what we do,” Brown said. “If the patient has a legitimate issue with me or my office, it’s best to reach out and discuss the problem with the patient. Typically, patients who give negative reviews have expectations that aren’t met, such as receiving a prescription for an antibiotic for a viral illness.”
Kooser said it’s common for clinicians to give disproportionate weight to negative comments.
“It is easy to focus on the one or two negative reviews and overlook the dozens or hundreds of positive reviews many of us receive,” he said.
Fixing Mistakes
Jesse P. Houghton, MD, senior medical director of Gastroenterology at Southern Ohio Medical Center Gastroenterology Associates in Portsmouth, Ohio, said his practice has made changes in response to patient reviews — perhaps not even consciously.
“I’d say this occurs without us even realizing it,” he said. “But yes, if there are changes that can be made based upon alerts from patient feedback, then we should do our best to initiate these changes.”
Kooser said that inaccurate reviews have been a challenge.
“I had one online review that was factually inaccurate and painted my practice in a bad light,” he said. “Trying to get this addressed or removed turned out to be almost impossible, which honestly discouraged me from trying in the future. We are fortunate that we have public affairs experts who collate our online reviews and provide them on our Providence website.”
Kooser said that he does not check his online reviews regularly, nor does his staff, but said that feedback is reviewed internally. Brown said she keeps tabs on her own reviews, as “staff is overburdened as it is.”
Best Practices: Managing Reviews
Based on Tebra’s findings, Marasco recommended a structured but manageable approach to online feedback. He said practices should start by claiming and updating their profiles on the platforms patients actually use.
He encouraged requesting reviews consistently through automated prompts, such as post-visit texts or emails. He said responses should rely on safe, empathetic language that acknowledges concerns without defensiveness. Rather than reacting to every comment, he said practices should track patterns in feedback and use those trends to guide operational improvements. He also advised using technology that automates monitoring and sentiment analysis to help protect staff workload and reduce burnout.
Kooser encouraged clinicians to remember that positive feedback matters.
“For the vast majority of providers, the positive reviews far outweigh the negative ones,” he said. “I would encourage my fellow providers to not just brush over the positive ones but to take them to heart and realize that your patients appreciate what you are doing for them.”
He said negative reviews should be met with reflection rather than self-blame.
“I would try to minimize my emotional response but instead focus on actionable corrections such as improving workflows or reevaluating communication techniques,” he said.
Brown offered similar advice.
“As long as I feel like I am practicing quality medicine in accordance with established standards of care, I try not to worry too much about bad reviews,” she said.
The Bottom Line
The Tebra study confirmed that reviews are now a central part of medical practice — influencing access, trust, workflow, well-being, and financial health.
Indeed, Houghton said reviews are inevitable.
“We live in a digital world, and so any business is going to have to deal with online reviews, so we cannot fight this — we need to first accept this fact,” he said. “I would also say that it is okay to be concerned about our online reputation; in fact, we should be somewhat stressed about it, it’s what keeps us on our toes.”
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