The FTC’s Proposed Rule Banning Deceptive Reviews and Testimonials
Negative Online Reviews and Reputation Management: Tips for Health Care Practices and Providers
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Advertising & Customer Engagement in the Digital Age - Customer Reviews and Response
How to Find the Identity of an Anonymous Author Online
II-36- Holiday Party Tips, the 2018/2019 Federal Regulatory Agenda, and Noteworthy Cases On Suing and Being Sued
Negative online reviews are a concern for many businesses—but they present a unique challenge for healthcare providers, who are restricted by federal and state privacy laws in how to respond. Is the answer to have patients...more
New York AG Letitia James settled with Cerebral, Inc. to resolve allegations that the online mental health provider required consumers to go through a lengthy, multi-step process to cancel their subscriptions; continued to...more
‘Tis the season for holiday shopping—including scrolling through online product reviews. Just like reviews for that perfect new grill or an inflatable T-rex costume, online reviews are readily available for healthcare...more
Like we previously reported, reviews matter. The New York Attorney General (NY AG) announced a $100,000 settlement out of its Bureau of Internet and Technology with a Manhattan-based orthopedic doctor for manipulating patient...more
In an age where a vast majority of patients turn to the internet for healthcare information and recommendations, the online reputation of healthcare practices has become a paramount concern. The way medical professionals and...more
Report on Patient Privacy Volume 23, no 8 (August 2023) The allegation was shocking and, if true, would devastate the orthopedic surgeon’s reputation. An online commenter accused him of operating on the wrong arm or...more
A healthcare organization’s online presence is an important component of its reputation. Occasionally, dissatisfied patients will post negative reviews about healthcare services on social media and customer review platforms...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently announced that Manasa Health Center in Kendall Park, New Jersey entered into a Resolution Agreement and Corrective Action Plan to...more
In today’s digital era, online reviews have become a significant influence on consumer decision-making, including when it comes to selecting healthcare providers. With platforms like Yelp, Google, and specialized medical...more
Unhappy consumers, including patients, are free to express dissatisfaction with services they receive from providers on popular social media or online review platforms, such as Yelp and Google. At least in the healthcare...more
Your practice receives notification that an online review has been posted about you or the medical practice. You immediately check out the review and realize that the patient has left a scathing, negative review, which you...more
I don’t know how to say it any more clearly. Somehow, medical and dental practices continue to get roped into responding to negative patient reviews on Yelp, Google, or elsewhere online, and posting any identifying...more
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently imposed a $50,000 civil monetary penalty on a dental practice that disclosed patient-identifying information in response to a negative online review. The case is a reminder that...more
More patients than ever admit to choosing their health care providers based on what they read online. This means that false and misleading reviews which appear online can significantly impact a health care provider’s...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the healthcare industry is understandably fraught with unease and uncertainty. This, coupled with the ubiquity of social media, creates challenges for healthcare providers facing public...more
Like with most things today, many of us turn to our phones, tablets and computers for information regarding our medical problems and where to seek treatment. While many providers have historically feared the five-star...more
Health care providers should take heed of the $10,000 settlement announced on October 2, 2019 between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and a small dental practice based on...more
An unsurprisingly large number of medical and dental practices regularly monitor patient reviews or opinions posted on social media in order to, among other things, respond to unfairly negative or even blatantly false patient...more
Healthcare providers face a dilemma when patients post complaints or make other statements on social media. Just because a patient has made certain information public does not mean that the provider can also post protected...more
When healthcare providers are subject to a bad review on Yelp! or similar customer-review websites and apps, it can be difficult to hold back and not provide a response or at least attempt to clarify the situation....more
Are your employees instructed on the proper (and improper) use of social media? Does your organization have policies and provide training on the appropriate handling of sensitive information? A recent United States Department...more
The latest HIPAA resolution agreement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is a reminder that healthcare providers must take the high road when responding to unflattering online...more
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services announced it reached a settlement with Elite Dental Associates of Dallas (Elite) to resolve a complaint alleging Elite impermissibly disclosed a...more
On October 2, 2019, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it had reached a $10,000 monetary settlement with a Dallas-based dental practice to settle...more
No business likes to receive bad reviews on Yelp® or anywhere else in social media. When they do, some feel the need to respond to clarify or rebut the reviews, but they must do so carefully....more