HIPAA Compliance and Online Reviews
Many prospective patients turn to online reviews to help them evaluate potential dentists . In fact , 84 % of the public trust online reviews to help them make decisions . With a majority of people turning to the internet to find a dentist , it is more important than ever for dental practices to maintain and respond to online reviews professionally and promptly – while ensuring they maintain HIPAA compliance .
Data revealed that 88 % of dentists reported receiving online patient reviews , yet 39 % of them felt they were unable to respond to reviews due to HIPAA regulations , according to a December 2022 survey by the ADA Health Policy Institute . While dental practices can be fined thousands of dollars for responding to online reviews with sensitive information , such as a patient ’ s name , insurance information , treatment plan , and / or cost information , they might also violate HIPAA for simply acknowledging a patient was at their practice .
Remember this : Just because a patient identifies themselves in a review , they have NOT waived their HIPAA protection — patient confidentiality must always be maintained !
Dental practices should consistently monitor their presences on major review sites to be aware of what ’ s been posted , whether positive or negative . To equip dentists with resources to help manage comments left on their social media accounts , review sites , or other platforms , the ADA has created a toolkit with information about navigating online reputation in a digital age .
This new resource discusses critical questions for dental practices , including :
How should I monitor my online reputation ?
How does HIPAA apply to online reviews ?
How should I respond to negative reviews ?
To learn more about online reputation management and see sample responses to positive and negative reviews , visit ADA . org / socialtoolkit .
32 MAY / JUNE 2023 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL