Why medical professionals have to develop bedside manner

Eight years ago, I had a client with a vision to create a reviews site for medical professionals. Think Yelp, but for doctors. At the time, there weren’t many competitors. Those that existed, didn’t have many doctor reviews.

After we launched the site, he learned that his target market, doctors, wanted nothing to do with the site. They didn’t want to be reviewed. He tried pivoting the business model, but didn’t have enough runway and shuttered the business.

Hindsight is 20/20. If he stayed the course, he might have found success, like some of the current doctor review sites with millions of reviews.

Like almost every other industry, online is the start of the customer journey. And the medical industry is not immune. In a recent survey, 90% of patients said they’d choose another provider if their online reviews weren’t acceptable.

Online reviews create transparency that keeps every one on their toes, and arguably, a more empathetic world.