How UT Physicians Grew Google Reviews From 280 to 2,173 and Hit 4.6 Stars
This piece was written and published by NRC Health, a company that sells patient experience, feedback and reputation software. It is included here for its practical insight. Its inclusion does not mean that Healthcare Growth Strategies, its founder, or his employer endorses, recommends, or has a position on NRC Health or its products. Figures drawn from the vendor’s own customer or platform data have not been independently verified.
UT Physicians, a Houston group with more than 2,000 clinicians and 100+ locations, grew its Google reviews from 280 to 2,173 in one year (2022), raising its average rating from 2.9 to 4.6 stars, according to this NRC Health case study. Five-star reviews rose from 41% to 87% of the total. The process was built on speed: patients get a survey the same day as their visit, the survey ends with an invitation to post an online review, a dedicated team member (with a named backup) responds to every review, and negative reviews get a same-day invitation to call. The team treats hard reviews as patient feedback to act on, not something to remove. NRC Health data cited in the piece shows 52.3% of consumers check provider reviews before booking.
Review volume and recency are a patient-acquisition lever for every multi-site group. Note one caution: Google’s policy prohibits review gating, so invite every surveyed patient to review, not only those who gave positive feedback.
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How did UT Physicians increase its Google reviews?
Per NRC Health, it surveyed patients the same day as their visit, added an invitation to post a review at the end of the survey, and had a dedicated staff member respond to every review quickly. Reviews grew from 280 to 2,173 in one year.
Should practices only ask happy patients for reviews?
No. Google’s policies prohibit review gating, meaning selectively asking only satisfied patients. The safe approach is to invite every patient to leave a review and respond to all of them.
Should healthcare organizations try to remove negative reviews?
UT Physicians’ patient experience director says no. Respond quickly, invite the patient to call and discuss it, and use the feedback to fix the underlying issue.