By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Have You Checked Your Hospital Yelp Listing Lately?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Have You Checked Your Hospital Yelp Listing Lately?
BusinessHospital AdministrationSocial Media

Have You Checked Your Hospital Yelp Listing Lately?

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Share
4 Min Read
Newsletter_Pic2_08_20_2015
SHARE

Newsletter_Pic2_08_20_2015The crowd sourcing, user-review site Yelp has emerged as a regular reference check for people looking for hospitals, doctors, urg

Newsletter_Pic2_08_20_2015The crowd sourcing, user-review site Yelp has emerged as a regular reference check for people looking for hospitals, doctors, urgent care, dentists and other health and medical businesses.

Notwithstanding that Yelp is a mash-up of all types of local business listings—from auto repair to yogurt stores—prospective patients frequently tap into the social networking reviews, comments and star ratings authored by other patients. By one survey, better than 40 percent of respondents said that social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital and medical facility.

ER Wait Time and other data…

More Read

IT challenges in healthcare
10 Major IT Challenges Healthcare Organizations Are Facing Today
The Benefits and Value of CARF Accreditation
Top 10 Healthcare Influencers To Add To Your Google+ Circles
Technology May Make Capitation in Healthcare Work
One More Way ObamaCare May Lead to Single Payer

User reviews are inherently subjective (and sometimes suspect), and that probably works better for restaurants than for hospitals. But Yelp has added more objective data, via medicare.gov, to advise visitors of ER Wait Time, as well as Doctor Communications and Quiet Rooms ratings.

If you haven’t checked your listing recently, it may have changed with this recent update that includes 25,000 hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis clinics in the US. (Initially this appears on the desktop version of Yelp; soon to be available in the mobile app.)

Are future changes likely?

More changes could be in store for Yelp’s Health category; it represents about six percent of all Yelp user references, and it’s clearly an influence factor in the patient decision process.

All is not-so-rosey for Yelp on Wall Street. With a poor earnings report, and a 27 percent stock drop, a CNNmoney article asks: Is Yelp on its deathbed? And that might be a little harsh.

The business future of Yelp is, at least by this report, somewhat uncertain. For example, it cites problems of fake reviews, a “cloud of [consumer] distrust, and that it’s being used less and less frequently.”

Nevertheless, user reviews continue to grow on Yelp; an indication that consumers continue to like and use the social platform. In the long view, the move in the healthcare industry toward greater transparency encourages a positive patient experience.

These issues are not exclusive to Yelp’s health listings. Healthcare and hospital communicators may want to monitor their Yelp listings as carefully and frequently as ever. It seems likely that more changes will appear in the future.

For related reading, see these previous articles:

Wait Watchers: ER Appointments Differentiate a Hospital Brand

Case Example: Something You Haven’t Seen in Marketing ER Wait Times

Stewart Gandolf

Author information

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Healthcare Success Strategies
Stewart Gandolf is CEO of Healthcare Success, a medical marketing and health care advertising agency. He is also a frequent writer and speaker. Most importantly, he is happily married and a “rock-n-roll daddy” to two wonderful girls.
TwitterGoogle+LinkedIn

The post Have You Checked Your Hospital Yelp Listing Lately? appeared first on Healthcare Success.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Health Care Buzz Today

May 24, 2011
patient advocacy
Business

Forget Patient Advocacy: Be a Patron of Patients

July 31, 2014
BusinessHospital Administration

Concierge Medicine – For the Masses or the Elite?

July 13, 2015

Why Hospitals, Health Plans and Medical Groups Should Invest in Patient-Centered Communication Skills

May 31, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?