Patient review requests

Ask for a review within a day of a visit, from someone the patient knows, with a direct link and no incentive. Ask every eligible patient the same way, not just the ones you expect to be happy: filtering requests by satisfaction (review gating) breaks Google’s rules. Do not ask for Yelp reviews. When you reply to reviews, never confirm that the reviewer is a patient or mention their care.

Reviews shape how new patients choose a practice, and a steady stream of recent ones matters more than a burst every few years. A simple, consistent request process gets you there without breaking platform rules or patient privacy.

The rules you need to know

Review platforms and regulators have clear rules. Read the sources yourself, and check with counsel if you are unsure about a specific practice.

No incentives. Google’s policy for Maps user-generated content prohibits businesses from offering incentives such as payment, discounts, or free services in exchange for reviews. The FTC’s final rule on fake reviews and testimonials, announced in August 2024, bars incentives conditioned on writing reviews that express a particular sentiment.

No review gating. The same Google policy prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively soliciting positive ones. That rules out “Were you happy? If yes, review us on Google; if no, tell us privately” flows. You can still collect private feedback; just send the review request to every eligible patient regardless of their answer.

No staff or insider reviews. Google’s policy treats reviews based on a conflict of interest, including current or former employment, as rating manipulation. The FTC rule also restricts reviews from company insiders and requires disclosure of material connections. Do not ask staff or their families to review the practice.

Yelp is different. Yelp’s Don’t Ask for Reviews guidance tells businesses not to solicit reviews, and says solicited reviews may be filtered. Leave Yelp out of your requests.

Privacy in replies. Responding to a review is a disclosure risk. In 2023, HHS announced an agreement with a New Jersey provider that disclosed patient information in responses to negative online reviews. Replies should never confirm that someone is a patient or discuss their care. See our HIPAA-safe messaging playbook for the broader rules.

When to ask

Ask when the patient has just experienced the value of the visit:

• After a successful first visit, as part of the new patient welcome sequence.
• At a milestone, such as the end of a hearing aid trial, the end of orthodontic treatment (see retention follow-up), or completing a physical therapy plan of care.
• After routine visits, on a consistent schedule, so every patient gets the same chance to share their experience.

Do not ask a patient more than once or twice a year. Repeated requests feel like pressure.

How to ask

• In person first. The provider or front desk can mention it at checkout: “If you have a minute, we’d really appreciate a review. I’ll send you the link.”
• Then a direct link. Text or email a link that opens the review form directly, so the patient does not have to search.
• Keep it neutral. Do not ask for a five-star review or suggest what to write. “Would you share your experience?” is enough.
• One reminder at most. If the patient does not respond, let it go.

Text requests require consent to text and must honor opt-outs; see our SMS consent and TCPA basics.

Make it a routine, not a campaign

Practices that get steady reviews treat requests as part of checkout, not as a quarterly push. A routine is also the easiest way to stay within the rules, because every eligible patient gets the same request.

• Define who is eligible. For example, every patient seen for a completed visit, excluding anyone who opted out of messages or asked not to be contacted.
• Send automatically if your system supports it, on the same schedule for everyone, with the in-person mention as the human touch.
• Do not let staff pick and choose which patients get asked. That is review gating in practice, even when nobody calls it that.
• Do not run contests that reward staff for the number of reviews they collect, and never reward staff for positive ratings.

When a patient tells you in person that they had a bad experience, thank them, escalate it to the office manager, and resolve what you can. They should still receive the same review request as everyone else if they are eligible.

Follow-up timeline

Templates

“Thanks so much for coming in today. If you have a minute in the next day or two, we’d really appreciate it if you’d share your experience in a review. I’ll send you a link so it’s easy. Is that okay?”

Hi [First name], thanks for visiting [Practice name]. Would you share your experience? It takes a minute: [Review link]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Subject: How was your visit to [Practice name]?

Hi [First name],

Thank you for choosing [Practice name]. If you have a moment, we’d appreciate hearing about your experience in a review:

[Review link]

Your feedback helps other people in our community find care, and it helps our team improve.

Thank you, [Practice name]

Subject: A quick favor from [Practice name]

Hi [First name],

Just a gentle reminder in case it slipped by. If you’d like to share your experience, here’s the link: [Review link]

No worries if not. Thanks again for trusting us with your care.

[Practice name]

Thank you for taking the time to share this. We appreciate your kind words and the trust you place in our team.

Do not use the reviewer’s name, mention a visit, or refer to any detail of care in your reply, even when the review is positive and the reviewer shared those details.

Thank you for your feedback. We take every concern seriously and would like to understand more. Please call our office manager, [Name], at [Phone] so we can talk directly.

What to measure

• Requests sent: review requests sent per month, as a share of eligible visits. Consistency matters more than volume.
• Reviews received: new reviews per month on each platform you ask for.
• Recency: days since your most recent review on each platform.
• Average rating trend: rolling 12-month average, watched for direction rather than individual reviews.
• Reply time: days from a new review to your reply. Reply to all reviews, positive and negative, within a few business days.

Treat negative reviews as feedback. Read them at a team meeting, fix what you can, and resist the urge to argue in public.