Practice management
A Template for Responding Ethically to a Negative Online Review
Provides a HIPAA-compliant and professional way to respond to public criticism without violating.
A negative online review puts you in a difficult position. The ethical standard is to maintain client confidentiality, which means you cannot publicly confirm or deny that the reviewer was a client, let alone address their specific claims. Yet, a public criticism left unanswered can damage your reputation and deter people from seeking your services.
This template provides a clear, professional, and compliant response you can post with confidence. It allows you to publicly acknowledge the feedback without breaching confidentiality or engaging with the specifics of the complaint. Your practice appears responsive and principled, and you can move forward without getting drawn into a damaging public exchange.
A Template for Responding Ethically to a Negative Online Review
Use the following text to respond publicly to a negative online review. Copy and paste the template into the reply field on the review platform. Fill in the bracketed information. Do not add details or address the reviewer’s specific claims in your public response.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. I take all comments seriously and am committed to providing a high standard of professional service.
My professional ethics and confidentiality policies prevent me from responding to specific points in a public forum, or even confirming whether an individual is or has been a client.
I encourage you to contact me directly by phone at [Your Phone Number] or by email at [Your Email Address] so that I can address your concerns privately.
Sincerely, [Your Name/Practice Name]
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