The good, the bad, and the business opportunity: Negative reviews
By Hannah Borchik, Director of Consumerism Advisory, Press Ganey.
Referrals open doors; reviews decide who walks through them. They’re moments of truth—windows into safety, empathy, and trust. Consumers use them to decide where to go, whom to see, and whether a brand feels worthy of their confidence. They’re necessary—not just for marketing, but for the entire Human Experience of care.
Consumers are really looking for signals of trust. Not just a star count, but evidence of quality, safety, and real voices from real patients. In this digital-first journey, reviews help healthcare consumers translate uncertainty into confidence.
Consider three quick truths from our latest consumer work:
- 84% of consumers say they’d reconsider a referred provider with a rating under 4 stars.
- Positive reviews are the #1 trust-builder when patients see AI-generated healthcare results.
- When people read reviews, “quality” is the #1 factor they evaluate—with “verified patient” signals a close second.
Many organizations hesitate to request reviews because their existing online footprint tells only part of the story. When reviews get posted organically, they tend to reflect the extremes—the very happy and the very unhappy—which can skew perceptions and pull average ratings lower than the true experience. And when leaders see a small number of low reviews sitting unchallenged online, it’s understandable that asking for more feedback can feel risky.
That’s why so many teams ask us the same question:“If we ask, won’t we just get more negative feedback?” So we asked consumers how they actually use negative reviews. Here’s what they told us—and how to turn that feedback into trust, loyalty, and growth.
How consumers read negative reviews (and what they do next)
Before we look at the numbers, it helps to understand why this question matters. When consumers read negative reviews, they’re not solely scanning for complaints, but trying to get an understanding of whether an organization is self‑aware, responsive, and accountable. It becomes a trust test; more specifically, one of credibility. How do you show up when something goes wrong? How do you engage people who didn’t have a perfect experience? Keeping that in mind, we asked consumers directly how they use negative reviews when choosing care.
Which best describes your experience of reading negative reviews?
- 30% — I read negative reviews first to evaluate reputation from real patients.
- 25% — I read negative reviews, but how the organization responds influences my choice more.
- 18% — I read negative reviews, but they generally do not influence my choice.
- 17% — Negative reviews generally stop me from choosing a provider or location.
- 10% — I never read negative reviews—they’re too biased.
The main takeaway is that some negative reviews actually help consumers make decisions. They signal transparency while validating that the feedback is from real patients, and—most importantly—spotlight how you respond. Your reply is your chance to show your humility, accountability, and commitment to making things right—or a quick way to help a consumer opt for another provider. Compassionate review responses are at the heart of trust.
And this all aligns with what we’re seeing across the industry: Brand trust is built (or broken) before care is delivered, long before the first appointment—through search results, listings accuracy, and, yes, reviews consumers read on your site and across the web.
Why reviews are necessary (especially in the age of AI discovery)
Patients aren’t only Googling anymore; they’re asking AI assistants who to see and why. In this new age of AI discovery, answer engines aggregate and cross‑validate signals from multiple sources (healthcare directories, hospital sites, and verified patient feedback)—not just a lone review platform. Your reputation must be multisource by design, with authentic reviews that travel.
Our consumer research echoes that authentic feedback creates powerful proof, and poor signals (like low star ratings) can override even the most trustworthy referral. Reviews don’t just reflect the care experience, but shape access, equity, and growth by building confidence during consumer search.
Three moves to strengthen reputation, with compassion and discipline
1. Use patient experience comments first
If you already publish patient experience survey ratings and comments through your transparency workflow, extend that foundation: Syndicate those verified patient comments to third‑party sites. This fuels review quality and authenticity, and it aligns to processes your teams already trust.
2. Request reviews from every patient—after the appointment
Timing matters. Ask when the experience is fresh. 46% of healthcare consumers say they’re at least likely to leave an unsolicited review—but that jumps to 69% when asked directly. A trusted partner will help you coordinate review outreach to protect survey integrity and avoid overlap with CAHPS windows, while still enabling a steady flow of reviews that reflect your true standard of care.
3. Respond to negative reviews
A thoughtful response signals presence and accountability, and it often creates a path to resolution offline—sometimes even to a revised review. Treat each response as a small act of service recovery in public view: acknowledge, thank, invite a private conversation, and close the loop. These micro‑moments compound into trust.
What this means for leaders
Negative reviews aren’t a liability to avoid, but create an opportunity to listen, learn, and lead with humanity. When consumers see active community engagement, they see an organization that takes safety, empathy, and improvement seriously. That’s how trust is earned—one review, one response, one experience at a time.
Reach out to one of our experts. Let’s design a review strategy that honors your people, safeguards compliance, and grows trust where it matters most—before the first appointment.