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Google Reviews for Clinics and Dentists: Asking Patients Properly
By NFC Online Editorial Team · Published · Updated
Put a Google review plaque or stand at reception and offer it to every patient as they leave or book their next visit, with one neutral sentence. Never ask in the chair, never offer treatment discounts, and never confirm in a public reply that someone is a patient or discuss their care.
Why clinics need a different approach
Patients choose dentists, physiotherapists and clinics partly on reviews, so asking for them makes sense. But a practice is not a café. Patients may be anxious, in pain or simply private about their health, and the people who work there have privacy duties that a shop does not.
The basic routine is the same as anywhere: ask every patient, make it easy, offer nothing in return. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews without breaking the rules sets out that routine. This article adds what changes in a healthcare setting: where to ask, how to ask without pressure, and how to reply without disclosing anything.
Reception: a plaque or a stand
Reception is the natural place. Patients pass it on the way out, often while they pay or book their next appointment. A Google review plaque mounted by the desk or the exit stays in view without taking counter space, and its NFC chip and QR code open your review page with a tap or scan. A Google review stand on the desk does the same job where there is room.
Avoid placing anything in treatment rooms. A patient in the chair cannot easily say no, and a review request there feels like pressure. A plaque in the waiting area is fine, as it is seen by everyone. Our comparison of review stands, cards, stickers and plaques explains each format.
Asking without pressure
The request should come once, at the end of the visit, in the same words for every patient:
“If you’d like to leave us a Google review, you can tap or scan the plaque by the door. There’s no need to mention any treatment.”
- Ask at reception, not in the treatment room, and not while the patient is still numb or recovering.
- Use the same line with every patient, whatever kind of visit they had.
- Do not ask again if the patient says no or does not respond.
- Do not ask patients to mention a clinician by name or to describe their treatment.
Offering the plaque to everyone also means offering it to the patient whose appointment ran late. Choosing who to ask is review gating.
Patients who prefer privacy
A Google review appears under the reviewer’s Google profile, so writing one tells the world that person visited your practice. Some patients will not want that, and that is their choice. Say so in the request — “if you’d like to” — and never make a patient feel awkward for walking past the plaque.
Some treatments, such as cosmetic procedures, feel especially personal. Salons face a gentler version of the same question; our review card setup for salons and barbers covers asking after treatments that feel private.
Waiting rooms and follow-up messages
A plaque in the waiting area is seen by everyone, so it is a fair place for a reminder. It should not be used to ask patients before their appointment, when they have nothing to review yet. If your booking system sends a message after appointments, you can include the review link once — to every patient, in the same words, with no reminders.
Keep health details out of that message. “Thanks for visiting the practice today” is enough; do not name the treatment or the clinician.
Replying to reviews: privacy first
Replies are where practices get into trouble. A patient who writes “the dentist rushed my filling” has shared their own information. You have not been given permission to add to it. A reply that says “we checked your records and your filling was done correctly” confirms they are a patient and discusses their care in public.
Write replies that would make sense whether or not the reviewer is a patient. Thank them, say you take feedback seriously, and invite them to contact the practice directly, with a phone number or email address rather than a name.
Replies: do and don’t
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Thank the reviewer for their feedback | Confirm that they are or were a patient |
| Invite them to contact the practice directly | Mention dates, appointments, treatments or results |
| Describe general policies, such as how you handle complaints | Quote anything from their records or correspondence |
| Keep the same calm tone for praise and criticism | Argue, correct their account, or reveal their full name |
| Have one trained person approve replies | Let staff reply from personal accounts |
A short, neutral reply such as “Thank you for your feedback. We’d welcome the chance to discuss this — please call the practice manager” is often all that is needed.
When a patient complains
Use your normal complaints process, privately, and do not make anything depend on what the patient writes online. Never ask a patient to remove or change a review in return for a refund or free treatment. If they have already posted, a short public reply inviting them to contact the practice manager is enough; the detail belongs in the private conversation.
Health-privacy rules
Health information has extra legal protection in most countries. This is general information, not legal advice; check with your professional body or a legal adviser before you write replies or policies.
- United States: the HIPAA Privacy Rule applies to most healthcare providers. The US Department of Health and Human Services has taken enforcement action against dental practices that disclosed patient information in replies to online reviews — see the HHS announcement from December 2022, in which its civil-rights office said providers cannot disclose patients’ protected health information when responding to negative online reviews.
- United Kingdom: under UK GDPR, data concerning health is special category data, which needs extra protection (ICO: what is special category data?).
- European Union: the GDPR treats health data as a special category of personal data, with strict conditions on its use (Article 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation).
In practice, all three point the same way: do not reveal anything about a patient in a public reply.
Professional advertising rules
Many healthcare regulators also have rules on advertising, and some cover reviews and testimonials. In the UK, for example, the General Dental Council publishes guidance on advertising for dental professionals. Rules differ by country, state and profession, so check your own regulator’s guidance before you display reviews on your website or in your practice.
No incentives, no gating, no staff reviews
Google does not allow incentives for reviews — a discounted check-up, free whitening or a prize draw all count. It does not allow asking only happy patients, and it removes reviews written with a conflict of interest, such as by staff (Google’s policy on fake engagement). Our guide to Google’s review policy for businesses explains each rule.
Fake reviews are also illegal in many places. Our guide to fake review laws in the UK, US, EU and Australia sets out the main rules.
Several clinicians, one practice
In a practice with several clinicians, use one request for every patient, whoever they saw. Do not set review targets for individual clinicians or compare their review counts. If the practice has several sites, each site has its own Business Profile and review link; label plaques and stands by site before they go out.
Setting it up
- Copy your Google review link from your Business Profile and test it in a private browser window.
- Order a plaque for the reception wall or exit, or a stand for the desk.
- Paste the link at checkout and check it before paying.
- When it arrives, tap it with an iPhone and an Android phone, and scan the QR code.
- Agree the one-line request and a reply policy with the team, and name the person who approves replies.
The rules, in short
Ask every patient the same way, at reception. Never offer incentives. Never ask only happy patients — that is gating. Never write, buy or swap fake reviews, and owners, staff and their families must not review the practice. Never reveal patient information in a reply. A plaque cannot promise stars or a number of reviews; the review is always the patient’s own.
Questions
- Can dentists ask patients for Google reviews?
- Yes. Google encourages businesses to ask. Ask every patient the same way, at reception, and offer nothing in return.
- Where should a clinic put a review plaque?
- By the reception desk or the exit, where every patient passes. Avoid treatment rooms, where a request feels like pressure.
- Can we reply to a patient’s review?
- Yes, but never confirm they are a patient or mention their treatment. Thank them and invite them to contact the practice directly.
- Can we offer a discount for a review?
- No. Google does not allow any incentive for a review, including discounted treatment, free products or prize draws.
- Do health-privacy laws apply to review replies?
- They can. In the US, HHS has taken action against dental practices over review replies; in the UK and EU, health data is special category data. This is general information, not legal advice.
- Should we ask patients to name their dentist?
- No. Use the same neutral request for every patient and let them write what they want.