There’s no question that positive reviews on social media can help drive new patients to your urgent care center. The counterpoint to that is that negative reviews have the potential to keep even formerly satisfied customers from returning. Things have escalated beyond simple comments online in the case of a Michigan healthcare facility and a family that was unhappy with the care they received. That family first aired its grievances over the care one family member received in a lengthy Facebook post that was shared some 1,200 times and that inspired almost 600 comments. Not satisfied to leave it at that, family members started picketing outside the hospital, venting their frustrations on the signs they carried. The Kalkaska County Hospital Authority had seen enough by then, and initiated a defamation suit against the family, naming three family members as defendants and claiming that their actions unfairly besmirched the reputation of Kalkaska Memorial Health Center and interfered with its business. The suit also maintains that the family members were verbally abusive not only toward staff members but also the relative who had been treated at the hospital, and that they ignored dietary advice, and withheld meals and medications. Among the hospital’s demands is that the family take down the Facebook post. Regardless of the outcome of the case, this episode is a cautionary tale of the importance of maintaining positive patient relationships even in the face of discord, and especially in this age of potentially explosive social media criticism.
JUCM has addressed the dynamics of having a healthy online presence numerous times. For insights on using social media to your advantage, read Calculating the Value of a Like: The Muddled ROI of Facebook Advertising.