How Doctors Can Respond to Negative Patient Reviews (Without Violating HIPAA)

Online reviews are now one of the most powerful factors influencing how patients choose their doctors. With just a quick search, prospective patients can find detailed feedback on your practice through Google, Healthgrades, Vitals, RateMDs, and other platforms. While some reviews offer helpful insights, others are misleading, exaggerated, or entirely false, creating genuine risks to your reputation and livelihood.

For many medical professionals, reading a harsh or inaccurate review online can feel personal. The urge to respond and set the record straight is understandable. But unlike other business owners, physicians face legal and ethical restrictions that severely limit what they can say. A public response that even hints someone is a patient may violate HIPAA and result in professional consequences.

At Minc Law, we help healthcare providers address damaging reviews without compromising their licenses, practices, or reputations. In this guide, we explain how to respond safely when a review crosses the legal line and what steps to take if a false or harmful post is threatening your business.

Why Responding to Patient Reviews is Riskier for Doctors

When most business owners receive a negative review, they typically respond with their side of the story. They might clarify details, apologize, or challenge falsehoods. But for doctors, it’s not that simple.

HIPAA restricts how healthcare providers can use and disclose protected health information (PHI). That includes identifying someone as a patient, confirming they received treatment, or revealing anything related to their medical history, even indirectly.

Even if a reviewer voluntarily shares details about their visit, you are still legally prohibited from acknowledging or confirming any of it. HIPAA doesn’t allow you to meet them halfway in a public response.

Let’s say a reviewer writes:
“Dr. Taylor botched my knee surgery and then ignored my pain for weeks!”

As unfair or untrue as that may be, responding with something like:
“We’ve reviewed your chart and believe your treatment was appropriate…”
…violates HIPAA, because you’ve confirmed that person was a patient.

Even a response as subtle as:
“We’re sorry you feel that way. Your surgery was performed according to standard protocol…”
…could get you into trouble.

HIPAA doesn’t make exceptions for reviews. And review sites like Yelp and Google don’t offer healthcare-specific features that let you respond confidentially. This makes public engagement a legal liability more than a reputational remedy.

How Doctors Should Respond to Bad Online Reviews

Once a negative review appears, the impulse to respond may be strong. However, for medical professionals, an immediate response can lead to unintended legal and reputational consequences. Physicians must weigh the risks carefully. While HIPAA restricts what can be said publicly, there are still safe and professional ways to manage the situation, protect your reputation, and demonstrate your commitment to patient care.

Video: How Medical Professionals Can Remove & Respond to Negative Patient Reviews

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Reach Out Via Private Phone Call

If you can identify the patient who wrote the review, the best course of action is often to contact them directly. A phone call is usually more effective than an email or written message. It allows for a more human interaction and gives the patient a chance to feel heard.

Begin the conversation by acknowledging their concern and expressing a sincere willingness to listen. You might say, “I saw your review and wanted to check in with you directly. If there is anything we can clarify or improve, I would like to understand your perspective.”

The goal is not to challenge the review or argue about what happened. Instead, focus on understanding the root of the concern and offering a respectful, empathetic response. Many patients leave negative feedback because they feel that they have been overlooked or misunderstood. A calm and thoughtful phone call can often resolve the issue. When addressed privately and respectfully, they are often willing to revise or remove the review themselves.

Show Empathy

Whether you respond privately or publicly, empathy should guide your tone. This does not mean admitting fault or agreeing with the reviewer. Rather, it means recognizing that the patient’s experience felt real and important to them.

Empathy communicates professionalism, humility, and care. It also helps potential patients viewing the exchange to trust that your practice values feedback and prioritizes patient satisfaction.

Avoid Assigning Blame

Blaming the reviewer or attempting to correct their statements can quickly escalate the situation. Even when a review contains inaccurate claims, publicly defending your actions or challenging the reviewer’s version of events may be seen as combative or unprofessional.

More importantly, it may expose you to HIPAA violations if you publicly confirm the reviewer’s status as a patient or reference their care. Even seemingly neutral comments such as “We advised you to follow up, but did not hear back” could be interpreted as a disclosure of protected health information.

It is best to avoid offering your side of the story altogether. If you decide to post a public response, keep it general and focused on your practice’s commitment to quality care.

If you choose to respond publicly, keep your message short, neutral, and general. For example:

“Thank you for your feedback. We are dedicated to delivering the highest level of care to all our patients. Due to patient privacy laws, we are unable to comment on individual cases, but we welcome anyone with concerns to contact our office directly.”

This kind of response reflects a professional tone, encourages offline resolution, and avoids confirming any confidential relationship.

Strategies to Remove Negative Reviews About Your Medical Practice

Once you have evaluated the tone and content of a negative review and made any appropriate attempt to resolve the concern privately, the next question becomes whether and how to pursue removal. Not all reviews can or should be removed, but if a review is clearly false, damaging, or violates the policies of the platform where it appears, you may have valid grounds to take further steps.

Start by Documenting Everything

Before doing anything else, preserve a complete record of the review. This includes taking a screenshot of the review itself, the date and time it was posted, the URL, and any profile information associated with the reviewer. If the content is edited or removed later, having a reliable snapshot will allow you to maintain a clear record of the original statement.

It is also helpful to document any actions you have already taken, such as reporting the review through the platform, reaching out to the reviewer, or noting staff conversations related to the complaint.

This documentation becomes especially important if you choose to involve legal counsel or report a broader pattern of defamatory activity.

Review Platform Policies and Report Violations

Most platforms that publish patient reviews, such as Google, Healthgrades, and RateMDs, have clear content policies that restrict what reviewers are allowed to post. These policies vary, but common violations include:

• Posting on behalf of someone else
• Making factually false statements
• Using offensive or threatening language
• Impersonating a patient
• Reviewing a provider they have never visited

If the review falls into one of these categories, it may be eligible for removal. Each platform offers its own process for reporting content, usually through a “flag” or “report” option near the review.

When submitting a report, it is essential to follow the platform’s instructions closely and provide a professional and concise explanation. Rather than engaging with the substance of the review, focus on why it violates the site’s guidelines. Avoid personal language or any phrasing that implies knowledge of the reviewer’s medical history.

In more complex cases, an experienced defamation attorney can help you craft an effective report that references the platform’s exact terms of use and demonstrates the harm caused by the review.

Consider Formal Legal Intervention When Necessary

Most negative reviews do not require litigation. However, in cases where the reviewer makes serious, false accusations, such as malpractice, discrimination, or criminal conduct, legal recourse may be warranted. Defamatory statements that damage your reputation or practice may be subject to civil claims, particularly when the reviewer refuses to remove or revise the content voluntarily.

Legal tools that may be available include:

• Cease and desist letters can serve as a formal notice to the reviewer that the content is unlawful and must be removed.
• Defamation lawsuits can award damages and court-ordered removal if the statements meet the legal threshold of falsity, publication, and harm to your reputation.
• Pre-suit discovery or “John Doe” lawsuits, which allow you to uncover the identity of anonymous reviewers in certain jurisdictions.

Litigation is often a last resort, but it can be highly effective when reviews contain serious allegations and the reviewer is unwilling to engage in a reasonable resolution. If your practice has suffered measurable harm or is facing reputational risk with licensing boards, hospital networks, or referral sources, these options should be evaluated with experienced legal counsel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Legal to Pay a Patient to Remove a Bad Review?

Offering money or other incentives in exchange for removing or altering a review is not recommended and may violate federal and state consumer protection laws. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has made clear that compensated reviews, edits, or deletions must be transparently disclosed to avoid misleading the public. Attempting to pay for the removal of a review without disclosure could be considered deceptive and trigger enforcement action.

What Is the Best Way to Deal With Negative Patient Reviews?

For most doctors, the most effective approach is to consistently generate a steady stream of positive reviews from satisfied patients. Over time, this helps reduce the impact of occasional criticism.

However, in high-stakes fields like cosmetic surgery, a single damaging review can have serious consequences. In these cases, it may be necessary to combine review generation with legal or platform-level action to protect your reputation.

What Can I Gain From Suing For Defamation?

If successful, a defamation lawsuit may result in the removal of the false content, recovery of financial damages, and a court order that prevents the reviewer from repeating the harmful claims. In some cases, lawsuits can also uncover the identity of anonymous posters. However, the decision to sue should be weighed carefully, as litigation requires time, resources, and evidence that the statement was both false and harmful.

What Should I Consider Before Suing Over a Bad Patient Review?

Lawsuits take time, can bring unwanted attention, and often come with high legal fees. Ask yourself if the review is actually hurting your practice or revenue. If not, legal action may not be worth it. An experienced attorney can help you weigh the pros and cons based on your specific situation and advise you on whether you have a strong case.

We Help Doctors Protect Their Reputations from Harmful Reviews

A single false or damaging review can undermine years of hard work and patient trust. At Minc Law, we understand the high stakes for healthcare providers, especially when your name and reputation are at risk. Our attorneys have helped physicians across the country remove defamatory reviews and navigate complex HIPAA concerns with confidence.

If you are facing a review that feels unfair, false, or harmful, do not wait. Contact us for a free, no-obligation case review. We will evaluate your situation and help you take the right next step, whether that means removal, response, or legal action.

Call (216) 373-7706 or fill out our contact form below to get started.