How should doctors fight against online slander and protect against their Internet reputation?
Your professional reputation is an invaluable part of the practice that you have worked so hard to build. When one person is unsatisfied with their experience with a physician, they’ll talk. This word of mouth advertising can be one of the most beneficial as well as harmful and devastating ways to build or demolish your medical career.
A recent Indiana case of a woman dissatisfied with her plastic surgery doctor and the facelift she received shows the power of the Internet and how online patient reviews of doctors can be devastating. Lucille Lacovelli underwent surgery had a facelift, then began complaining that the procedure obstructed her airway and began causing difficulty in her breathing. The doctor and she communicated for a year about it before the doctor finally stopped contacting her due to what seemed to be irrational behavior on the patient’s part. Lacovelli started posting her issues, including claiming malpractice, with the doctor on physician rating websites and she even posted a video on YouTube (that generated 280,000 hits). [1]
As the Internet continues to become a platform for individuals to vocalize their concerns, these types of reviews have become and will continue to become more and more common. This is where Verified Doctor Reviews ™ WORKS and will continue to work to protect the reputations of doctors. Credential Protection has partnered to post reviews that are guaranteed to be from real, legitimate patients. Doctors who partner with this state of the art Internet protection program have proven to gain more patients and obtain reputable, honest reviews from patients around the country. In addition, it gives patients of all ages and walks of life a fair voice.
If you’re a physician looking to protect your online reputation from slander, learn more about how you can partner with MedRounds and Verified Doctor Reviews ™ at www.medrounds.org/main/verified-doctor-reviews
[1] “Facelift patient devoted herself to ruining surgeon’s reputation.” Outpatient Surgery. http://www.outpatientsurgery.net/news/2012/02/20-Facelift-Patient-Devoted-Herself-to-Ruining-Surgeon-s-Reputation
Accessed Feb. 16, 2012
