Healthcare Reputation Report – 2019 Q4 update

Reputation Staff Writer

Executive Summary

In an era where so many organizations thrive — or don’t — because of how they are perceived online, it’s more important than ever to manage customer experience across the customer journey. Nowhere is this more critical than in healthcare environments, where the customer — the patient — is often physically vulnerable and where emotions run high. Arguably, this sets a higher standard for the healthcare customer’s experience than, say, a retail or hospitality customer’s experience.

Because of this — and because today’s healthcare customers find providers online and rely on information in online reviews and social media to inform their decisions — maintaining a stellar online reputation is essential. Health systems and providers that neglect their online reputation will struggle to compete with others that proactively and consistently manage their reputation and subsequently show up higher in search rankings with more positive reviews.

In order to stay relevant and win in this increasingly competitive landscape, healthcare organizations need to optimize every element of their digital strategy. Getting found online, being chosen for care, and improving patient experience based on customer feedback are critical elements of this strategy, all of which can be effectively monitored and measured using reputation management methodologies.

0%
THE VAST MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS
SAID THAT PATIENT-GENERATED REVIEWS
INFLUENCED WHICH PHYSICIAN THEY CHOSE.
— Oliver Wyman Report
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TWO-THIRDS OF CONSUMERS WILL WAIT
LONGER FOR AN APPOINTMENT WITH A
PROVIDER WHO HAS BETTER REVIEWS.

— Reputation.com Healthcare Consumer Survey
Reputation.com’s 2019 Healthcare Reputation Report can be used by health systems and providers to uncover actionable insights that determine online reputation. It will also make the case for investing in reputation management as a key element of an organization’s digital and patient experience strategy.

Most importantly, data in the report shows a direct correlation between online reputation and financial performance.

Specifically, this report covers:

  • The relationship between online ratings and revenue per bed
  • Trends in patient reviews and comments
  • Ratings for the Top 100 hospitals based on customer experience

Armed with this information, health systems are better positioned to manage and address their online reputations, analyze patient feedback to improve operations and processes, and increase revenue per bed.

How We Analyzed Healthcare Reputation

Reputation.com applied artificial intelligence, machine learning and sentiment analysis to unstructured text in reviews of 4,800 hospitals that report revenue annually to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). From that sample, we included 3,824 hospitals with 10 or more online reviews on Google or Facebook between January 1, 2016 and August 31, 2018. Hospital ratings are not available on Healthgrades.

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3,824 HOSPITALS ANALYZED
In an effort to understand the role that online reviews play in today’s digital health environment, Reputation.com looked at the relationship between online reputation and revenue based on 2016 data (the most complete data available from CMS). We calculated revenue per bed by taking publicly reported inpatient and outpatient revenue and dividing it by the number of beds.

We tiered Reputation Score as low, medium and high: Low comprises the bottom 25 percent, medium comprises the middle 50 percent and high comprises the top 25 percent.

What’s Your Reputation Score?

Measured on a scale of one to 1,000, Reputation Score is a comprehensive index of a company’s digital presence and in-person patient experience. It is calculated based on factors that include overall review sentiment, volume, recency, spread across review sites, social media sentiment, business listings accuracy and other factors that unambiguously reflect consumers’ opinions about their patient experience, online and onsite. Reputation Score is the most comprehensive measure of a hospital’s, clinic’s or healthcare provider’s reputation with consumers.

The Nine Components of Reputation Score

Healthcare facilities must look into their overall Reputation Score to ensure they’re paying attention to all the factors that comprise it.

Direct Relationship Between Reputation Score and Revenue

A Strong Online Reputation = Higher Revenue

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HOSPITALS WITH A HIGH REPUTATION SCORE
EARN $1.2 MILLION MORE REVENUE PER BED.
Looking at hospital online reputation and hospital financial performance, we found a direct relationship between Reputation Score and revenue. In fact, results of our research show that hospitals with a high Reputation Score have a 29 percent higher revenue per bed than those with a low Reputation Score.

Specifically, hospitals with a Reputation Score in the top 25 percent have a revenue per bed that is $1.2 million higher than hospitals with a Reputation Score in the bottom 25 percent.

Relationship between Reputation Score and Revenue

Key Findings

The following tables show leading hospitals ranked by Reputation Score. Highlights include:

  • Duncan Regional Hospital, Inc. has the highest average Reputation Score
  • Patient experience begins before anyone walks in the door. Consumers want a good experience, from awareness to the final bill
  • Use of the top five review sites continues to grow (Google, Home pages, Apple, Facebook, Bing)
  • Hospital reviews on Google grew an incredible 86% from 2016 to 2018 — establishing it as the preferred platform for leaving hospital reviews.
  • “Staff” shows up as the main category in both the leader and laggard hospitals, underscoring the importance of understanding the sentiment and trends in the reviews
Reputation Scores for Leading Hospitals in the U.S.

The Top 10 Hospitals in the United States

Here are the leading hospitals in the U.S. by Reputation Score — those most trusted by consumers to deliver a great overall customer experience.
Rank Provider Name City State Score
1 Duncan Regional Hospital, Inc. Duncan OK 834
2 Houston Physicians’ Hospital Webster TX 809
3 Lakeview Regional Medical Center Covington LA 809
4 Sunnyview Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Schenectady NY 793
5 Women’s and Children’s Hospital Lafayette LA 792
6 Rapides Regional Medical Center Alexandria LA 781
7 Shriners Hospitals for Children – Cincinnati Cincinnati OH 777
8 Huhu Kam Memorial Hospital Sacaton AZ 771
9 Fairway Medical Center Covington LA 765
10 Medical Center South Arkansas El Dorado AR 761
10 Shriners Hospitals for Children Greenville SC 761

The Top 10 Hospitals in the United States

Rank Provider Name City State Score
1 Duncan Regional Hospital, Inc. Duncan OK 834
2 Houston Physicians’ Hospital Webster TX 809
3 Lakeview Regional Medical Center Covington LA 809
4 Sunnyview Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Schenectady NY 793
5 Women’s and Children’s Hospital Lafayette LA 792
6 Rapides Regional Medical Center Alexandria LA 781
7 Shriners Hospitals for Children – Cincinnati Cincinnati OH 777
8 Huhu Kam Memorial Hospital Sacaton AZ 771
9 Fairway Medical Center Covington LA 765
10 Medical Center South Arkansas El Dorado AR 761
10 Shriners Hospitals for Children Greenville SC 761
12 Holy Cross Hospital Fort Lauderdale FL 760
13 White Memorial Medical Center Los Angeles CA 759
13 St Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memphis TN 759
13 Menorah Medical Center Overland Park KS 759
16 Treasure Valley Hospital Boise ID 755
16 Lee’s Summit Medical Center Lees Summit MO 755
18 East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Knoxville TN 751
19 Tulane Medical Center New Orleans LA 747
20 Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children Honolulu HI 746
21 Driscoll Children’s Hospital Corpus Christi TX 745
22 Mountain View Hospital Idaho Falls ID 744
23 Shriners Hospitals for Children Houston TX 743
23 Oakbend Medical Center Richmond TX 743
25 LDS Hospital Salt Lake City UT 741
25 Research Medical Center Kansas City MO 741
25 Presbyterian St Luke’s Medical Center Denver CO 741
28 Watertown Regional Medical Center Watertown WI 740
29 Coral Gables Hospital Coral Gables FL 738
29 Belton Regional Medical Center Belton MO 738
31 Douglas County Hospital Alexandria MN 736
32 Boston Children’s Hospital Boston MA 734
33 Covenant Children’s Hospital Lubbock TX 732
34 Wesley Medical Center Wichita KS 724
35 Yuma Regional Medical Center Yuma AZ 721
36 Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Hartford CT 718
37 The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano Plano TX 715
37 Keck Hospital of Usc Los Angeles CA 715
39 Hancock Regional Hospital Greenfield IN 714
40 Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital Cleveland OH 712
41 Cypress Pointe Surgical Hospital Hammond LA 709
42 Centrastate Medical Center Freehold NJ 707
43 Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Nashville TN 706
44 Butler County Health Care Center David City NE 705
45 Willis Knighton Medical Center Shreveport LA 699
46 Garden Park Medical Center Gulfport MS 698
47 Cullman Regional Medical Center Cullman AL 695
48 Iowa Methodist Medical Center Des Moines IA 694
49 Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla CA 689
50 Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville Jacksonville FL 685
50 Baylor Medical Center At Uptown Dallas TX 685
52 Reston Hospital Center Reston VA 684
52 Rose Medical Center Denver CO 684
52 Valley Children’s Hospital Madera CA 684
55 Alfred I Dupont Hospital for Children Wilmington DE 682
56 Simi Valley Hospital & Health Care Services Simi Valley CA 679
57 St Louis Children’s Hospital Saint Louis MO 678
58 Arkansas Children’s Hospital Little Rock AR 677
58 Raulerson Hospital Okeechobee FL 677
60 Seattle Children’s Hospital Seattle WA 676
60 St Lucie Medical Center Port Saint Lucie FL 676
60 Ohsu Hospital and Clinics Portland OR 676
60 Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park KS 676
64 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston MA 674
65 Harborview Medical Center Seattle WA 671
65 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia PA 671
67 Plantation General Hospital Plantation FL 669
68 The Woman’s Hospital of Texas Houston TX 668
69 Parkview Regional Medical Center Fort Wayne IN 666
70 Nemours Children’s Hospital Orlando FL 664
71 Dayton Children’s Hospital Dayton OH 663
71 Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Miami FL 663
73 Verde Valley Medical Center Cottonwood AZ 661
73 The Woods at Parkside Columbus OH 661
73 Optim Medical Center – Tattnall Reidsville GA 661
76 Cook Children’s Medical Center Fort Worth TX 659
77 Centerpoint Medical Center Independence MO 658
78 Lone Peak Hospital Draper UT 656
78 Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA 656
78 Swedish Medical Center Englewood CO 656
81 Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles CA 652
82 South Miami Hospital South Miami FL 651
82 Pampa Regional Medical Center Pampa TX 651
84 Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune NJ 650
85 Aventura Hospital and Medical Center Aventura FL 649
85 Auxilio Mutuo Hospital Hato Rey PR 649
85 Mayo Clinic Hospital Phoenix AZ 649
88 Medical Center of Plano Plano TX 647
89 Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast Miramar Beach FL 645
90 Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital Nashville TN 644
91 Timpanogos Regional Hospital Orem UT 640
91 Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston MA 640
93 Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville TN 639
93 Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center Palm Beach Gardens FL 639
95 St Mark’s Hospital Salt Lake City UT 638
96 Monterey Park Hospital Monterey Park CA 637
97 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Roseville Roseville CA 636
98 St Bernards Medical Center Jonesboro AR 631
98 Kingman Regional Medical Center Kingman AZ 631
100 University of North Carolina Hospital Chapel Hill NC 630

Trends That Shape Your Reputation

Patient Experience Begins Before Anyone Walks in the Door

Consumers want a good experience, from awareness to the final bill. How a patient finds a provider online is a key part of the patient journey that should not be under-emphasized. A consumer’s ability to easily find and assess a provider online is the beginning of a great patient experience.

Google is dominating the search landscape in healthcare. It is the top vehicle used for the healthcare listings that consumers use to find organizations and providers. After Google, there are four other sources consumers turn to for healthcare listings: hospital and health system websites, Apple, Facebook, and Bing. Along with Google, these sites comprise 89 percent of all searches for healthcare providers.

It’s worth noting that healthcare specialty sites are becoming less and less of a source of information and stopping point for consumers looking for a provider.

Listing Sites That Matter Most

SOURCE
Reputation.com data, 2018. Analysis covers various types of search methods for listings information, including maps, desktop and mobile searches, searches for address, phone number, and a range of other criteria.

Use of the Top Five Sites Continues to Grow

Google, Home pages, Apple, Facebook, Bing

Consumers Are Sharing Their Experiences, Good and Bad

Not only are patients looking for information for healthcare services and providers on Google, but they are also using Google to leave reviews.

Tier 2 Sites Now Make Up Only 10% of the Sites Visited When Patients Look for Healthcare Listings

Healthgrades, WebMD, Yahoo and Vitals

Online reviews are increasing in number, as consumers become more comfortable and familiar with recounting online their personal experiences with products and services. Healthcare is no exception, perhaps because anything impacting health and wallets elicits particularly strong emotions.

Hospital Reviews on Google 2016 to 2018

Hospital reviews on Google grew an incredible 86% from 2016 to
2018 — establishing it as the preferred platform for leaving hospital reviews.

Healthcare providers must develop strategies for communicating with patients where they are talking. Addressing very public reviews immediately proves a high level of commitment to patient experience.

While not all reviews are negative (patients do heap praise for particularly good experiences), the number of negative comments — centering mostly on billing issues, wait times and outcomes — hovers consistently around 40 percent. This is significantly higher than other industries. For example, our research on apartment management firms shows negative reviews hover at around 14 percent.

Recurring Keywords in Online Reviews Show Where Hospitals Excel, Fall Short
Online reviews yield a wealth of insight into what hospitals and healthcare systems are doing well and where they must improve. For example, positive online reviews seem to be heavily influenced by the kindness of healthcare workers and the level of information exchange between patients and their doctors and staff. Comments about highly rated hospitals are focused on compassion and communication.

Customer Feedback: Leaders and Laggards

Leading Hospitals

Positive focus on staff, bedside manner and surgery center

Digging into the reviews of the top 100 hospitals, our analysis found that they performed better in three main categories — “staff”, “bedside manner”, and “surgery center.” Within those categories, we were able to identify shared topics that helped explain how these hospitals were driving higher sentiment in the categories. In the “staff” category, “care love,” “great staff” and “good hands” were the most relevant topics appearing in these hospitals’ positive reviews. In the “bedside manner” category, “friendly staff”, “caring doctor” and “provide explanation” were most relevant. And in the “surgery center” category, “pre-surgery,” “hip/knee replacement” and “pain control” were the most relevant topics.

Lagging Hospitals

Negative focus on staff, wait time and emergency

Conversely, our analysis of online sentiment of hospitals on the bottom of the list showed three categories in which improvements must be made: “staff”, “wait time”, and “emergency.” Topics that consistently bubbled up in “staff” included “rude nurse”, “discharge” and “asked to leave.” In the “wait time” category, the main topics that emerged were “wait on staff”, “just leave”, “rude nurse.” In the “emergency” category, the most relevant topics were ”pain”, “ inexperienced team” and “waiting.”

“Staff” shows up as the main category

“Staff” shows up as the main category in both the leader and laggard hospitals, underscoring the importance of understanding the sentiment and trends in the reviews. By routinely analyzing online sentiment in positive and negative reviews, hospitals and systems can identify differentiators and problem areas and use that information to improve their Reputation Score.

Maintaining a Healthy Online Reputation

Final Thoughts

Patient experience is a predictor of success for hospitals and healthcare providers. With the prolific use of social media and online review sites, the patient journey starts at the first search for a provider and continues through to post-care when patients leave reviews. It’s critical that healthcare organizations develop and pursue reputation management strategies to improve patient experience.

The following are three best practices for those focused on achieving a better online reputation:

Maintain your Reputation Score.
Research reveals that 88 percent of healthcare consumers begin their search for a provider online. What they find there determines which hospital and doctors they choose. Remember that Reputation Score is determined by every touchpoint a patient has with a health system — from location and provider listings, to star ratings, to doctor profiles on a website. Your Reputation Score supports the management of each touchpoint effectively, and tracks success along the way.

Focus on Google.
Patient experience starts when a patient looks for a doctor or hospital online, and Google is the number one place being used to find healthcare information. Combine that with the huge increase in online reviews on Google and you see how important a focus on Google is to a healthcare organization’s digital strategy.

Leverage reviews to inform service recovery efforts.
Long wait times or problems with billing are especially frustrating for patients, but have nothing to do with clinical quality or patient care. Issues like these can frequently be fixed by making operational adjustments, and will have a huge impact on patient experience — if you know about them in time. Real-time alerts to negative reviews gives you the power to resolve a situation and give patients the experience they want. Power exists not just in understanding challenges, but also in being alerted to challenges in real time so that they can be resolved quickly.

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