For treatment centers
Google reviews for treatment centers: A complete strategy
Why reviews matter
Google reviews directly affect your local search ranking, your click-through rate, and whether a family calls you or your competitor. A facility with 50 reviews and a 4.5-star rating will outperform a facility with 3 reviews regardless of quality.
Getting reviews ethically
Ask patients and families at discharge. Send a follow-up email 30 days post-discharge with a direct link to your Google review page. Ask alumni at events. Ask referring professionals. Never offer incentives for reviews (this violates Google policies and potentially EKRA). Never buy fake reviews.
Responding to reviews
Respond to every review, positive and negative. For positive reviews: thank them specifically, mention what you appreciated about working with them (without revealing protected health information). For negative reviews: acknowledge their experience, express concern, invite them to discuss offline. Never reveal PHI in review responses.
Handling negative reviews
Do not panic. Do not argue. Do not reveal that the reviewer was a patient (HIPAA). Respond professionally: Thank you for sharing your experience. We take all feedback seriously. Please contact our patient advocate at [phone] so we can address your concerns directly. This demonstrates responsiveness without confirming the patient relationship.
HIPAA considerations
You cannot confirm or deny that someone was a patient. Even responding thank you for being our patient violates HIPAA. Keep responses generic enough that they do not confirm a treatment relationship.
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