A continuing series on physician online reputation. Created in partnership with The Doctors Company as part of their social media resources for physicians.
A physician’s online reputation is important because more patients than ever are going online to research their doctors. They’re going to search engines like Google and Googling their doctor’s names. If you Google my name, for instance, my blog comes up, also my other social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. A lot of other doctors I talk to, they’re a little bit apprehensive about being visible online. When their name are Googled, pages from physician rating sites can show up and they may not like what they see.
In today’s transparent era where patients can go online and research their doctors, it’s important for us to manage our online reputation because that could be patients’ first impression of us on the web. An online reputation is just as important as the reputation in the community, so it better be a good one. That’s why a physician’s online reputation is so important.
Kevin Pho is an internal medicine physician and co-author of Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices. He is on the editorial board of contributors, USA Today, and is founder and editor, KevinMD.com, also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
