What's Changing?

Google and regulatory bodies have introduced stricter policies to ensure fairness, transparency, and authenticity in online reviews. Healthcare practices, including dental clinics, must ensure they do not manipulate or bias patient feedback in any way.

“Businesses must not discourage or prohibit negative reviews or selectively solicit positive reviews. All patients must be given an equal opportunity to share their feedback.” — Google Review Policy Guidelines

This ensures that online reviews reflect a genuine and unbiased representation of patient experiences. The days of cherry-picking who gets to leave reviews are over.

What is Review Gating?

Review gating refers to the practice of filtering patients based on their feedback before allowing them to leave a public review. Here's how it typically works:

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Asking patients to rate their experience before sending a review link

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Only sending review links to patients who select high ratings

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Redirecting unhappy patients to internal forms instead of public platforms

This practice, while common, is now explicitly prohibited. Practices using review gating risk penalties from Google and potential legal exposure under FTC regulations.

What the FTC Prohibits

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Review Gating

Only sending satisfied customers to public review sites while directing others elsewhere

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Conditional Incentives

Offering discounts or rewards specifically for positive reviews

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Review Suppression

Using threats, intimidation, or false claims to prevent negative reviews (Section 465.7)

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Fake Reviews

Writing or purchasing fake reviews from people who haven't used your services

The Risks of Non-Compliance

Google penalties and review removal

Reduced search visibility

FTC fines and legal exposure

Loss of patient trust

Damage to brand reputation

Negative impact on acquisition

How mConsent Keeps You Compliant

mConsent's Reputation Management system is designed from the ground up to be fully compliant while still helping you build a strong online reputation. Here's how it works:

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Automated SMS Sent

After appointment, ALL patients receive an SMS with a single feedback link

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Patient Clicks Link

Patient opens the link and sees a simple choice page

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Two Clear Options

Google Review as primary action, internal feedback as secondary option

The Key Difference

ALL patients receive the same link. When clicked, they see both options - Google Review prominently displayed as the primary action, with internal feedback as a secondary choice. No filtering, no gating.

See It In Action

Here's exactly what patients receive - simple, compliant, and effective:

Recommended Best Practices

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Send review requests consistently to all patients after their visit

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Allow patients to provide honest and unbiased feedback

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Respond to both positive and negative reviews professionally

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Maintain transparency in all communication

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Use patient feedback to improve operations and service quality

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Avoid any tactics that attempt to manipulate outcomes

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"Research shows that authentic review collection increases overall trust and credibility. Patients are more likely to choose providers with a balanced mix of reviews and active engagement."

Responding to negative reviews professionally can actually improve patient perception and demonstrate accountability.