A patient left a negative review. What should I do?
How you respond to a negative review is visible to every future patient who researches your practice — a calm, professional reply often does more for your reputation than the negative review hurts it.
1
Wait before you respond — never reply while upset
Read the review, then step away for at least 30 minutes before typing anything. Defensive or emotional replies published publicly can cause significantly more damage than the original negative review. This step is non-negotiable.
2
Look up the patient in RootLogic before responding
Go to Contacts and search for the reviewer by name. Pull up their contact record and review the Activity tab — call recordings, notes, and appointment history. Understanding exactly what happened from your side gives you context and prevents you from being caught off-guard if the reviewer escalates.
3
Write a short, empathetic public response
In Reputation → Reviews, click Reply on the negative review. Keep your response to 3 sentences: acknowledge their experience, express that you take all feedback seriously, and invite them to contact the office directly to resolve it. Do not argue facts, do not reveal any details about their care, and do not name the reviewer.
4
Follow up privately by phone
After posting the public reply, have the office manager or physician call the patient directly. Most negative reviews are written in a moment of frustration and can be de-escalated with a genuine personal conversation. Do not call asking them to remove the review — call to genuinely resolve their concern. If the concern is resolved, they may update the review on their own.
5
Offset negative reviews by increasing positive review requests
One negative review among 50 positive ones barely moves your average. One negative review among 5 is devastating. The best long-term defense is volume — systematically request reviews from every happy patient so your positive count keeps growing. See the review request article for the exact steps.
Important: Never include any information about the patient's treatment, diagnosis, or care history in your public response — even if they mentioned it in their review. This is a HIPAA violation regardless of what they disclosed. Your public reply must stay completely general.