Patient Experience Follow-Up and Google Review Program
Purpose
The goal of this program is to:
Confirm that patients are recovering comfortably.
Identify concerns before they become complaints.
Learn what the practice is doing well.
uncover opportunities to improve.
Consistently invite patients to share honest Google reviews.
Every patient interaction shapes how patients perceive the practice. Thoughtful follow-up can strengthen trust and help prevent minor concerns from becoming larger problems.
Use Two Separate Processes
The practice should separate clinical follow-up calls from the Google review request process.
Clinical calls can be prioritized according to the complexity of the procedure. Review requests, however, should be sent according to a consistent and neutral policy—not only to patients who say they are happy.
Google permits businesses to invite customers to leave genuine reviews, but prohibits selectively requesting positive reviews, discouraging negative reviews, offering incentives or telling patients what to write.
Recommended Follow-Up Schedule
Contact the Same Day or Next Morning
Prioritize patients who received:
Surgical extractions
Dental implants
Bone grafting
Periodontal surgery
Root canal treatment
Sedation
Multiple extractions or extensive treatment
Emergency treatment
Treatment involving significant pain or infection
For morning procedures, the practice may call near the end of the same business day. For afternoon procedures, call the following morning.
Contact Within One to Two Business Days
Contact patients who received:
Crowns or bridges
Veneers
Denture delivery or major adjustments
Multiple fillings
Scaling and root planing
Extensive cosmetic treatment
New appliances or retainers
Treatment involving a significant financial commitment
Contact Within Two to Three Business Days
Consider contacting:
New patients
Patients who appeared anxious
Parents after a child’s first visit
Patients who had an unusually long appointment
Patients who expressed confusion or hesitation
Patients returning after a long absence
Patients who recently completed a treatment plan
Routine cleanings and simple procedures do not generally require a clinical follow-up call unless something unusual occurred. They can still receive the practice’s standard feedback and review request.
Daily Workflow
Assign one team member to generate the follow-up list each morning. The clinical team should identify patients who need priority calls before leaving the office.
The caller should:
Review the procedure and clinical notes.
Call from the practice’s main number.
Ask a few consistent questions.
Document the conversation.
Escalate clinical concerns immediately.
Record any service feedback for the next team meeting.
Telephone conversations related to patient care should be dated and documented in the patient record.
Suggested Follow-Up Call Script
“Hi, this is [Name] calling from [Practice Name]. Dr. [Name] asked me to check on you after your visit. How are you feeling today?”
Allow the patient to answer before continuing.
“Is your discomfort within the range the doctor explained, or is anything concerning you?”
“Did you feel that everything was clearly explained before and after your treatment?”
“Was there anything our team did especially well?”
“Is there anything we could have done to make your experience better?”
Close with:
“Thank you for sharing that with me. We want to make sure every patient feels well cared for. I’ll document your feedback and make sure the appropriate team member follows up if needed.”
The caller should never diagnose, minimize symptoms or provide clinical instructions beyond the practice’s approved postoperative guidance.
Handling a Concern
When a patient reports a problem:
Listen without interrupting.
Thank the patient for explaining the concern.
Avoid becoming defensive or assigning blame.
Document the patient’s exact concern.
Notify the appropriate clinical team member.
Provide a clear expectation for when the patient will hear back.
Continue following up until the issue has been addressed.
Suggested response:
“Thank you for letting me know. I’m sorry this has been concerning. I’m going to share this with Dr. [Name] and have someone from our clinical team contact you.”
Any report of severe pain, uncontrolled bleeding, swelling, fever, breathing difficulty, allergic reaction or another urgent symptom should be immediately transferred or escalated according to the practice’s emergency protocol.
Google Review Request Process
The cleanest approach is to send a standard review invitation to all eligible patients after a completed visit or procedure. The invitation should not depend on how the patient answered the follow-up questions.
Suggested message:
“Thank you for trusting [Practice Name] with your care. We welcome honest feedback about your experience. You may share your feedback on Google here: [Review Link].”
Do not:
Ask only the few very vocal "happy" patients. Ask more to receive more.
Offer discounts, gifts or contest entries tied only to reviews. You can however give loyalty points or raffles for multiple activities that show support for your practice.
Tell patients what words or staff names to include.
Pressure patients to post while they are still in the office. Ask kindly and consider a thank you gift after they say they'll do it, but don't pressure them to do it on the spot.
Google specifically prohibits incentives, selective solicitation of positive reviews and requests that attempt to influence the rating or content.
When texting patients, use the patient’s authorized communication method and follow applicable consent and opt-out requirements. The ADA recommends documenting patients’ preferred contact methods and honoring requests to stop future communications.
Responding to Reviews
Public responses must remain general. Never confirm that the reviewer is a patient, identify the treatment performed or discuss the details of the person’s care.
A safe response might say:
“Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Our team is committed to providing a positive experience. Please contact our office directly so we can discuss your concerns privately.”
The ADA advises practices to keep responses anonymous and avoid referencing a particular person or incident. HHS has also taken enforcement action against dental and healthcare providers that disclosed protected health information while responding to online reviews.
Information to Track
Maintain a simple weekly report containing:
Patient contacted
Procedure or visit category
Call attempted or completed
Patient feeling well
Clinical concern reported
Service concern reported
Follow-up assigned
Follow-up completed
Review invitation sent
Feedback theme
Do not evaluate employees based on how many positive reviews they personally generate. Instead, measure whether the team consistently completes calls, documents feedback and resolves concerns.
Monthly Team Review
Once a month, review the most common themes:
What do patients repeatedly praise?
Where are patients experiencing confusion?
Are wait times becoming a concern?
Are financial expectations clearly explained?
Are postoperative instructions understood?
Are clinical concerns being addressed promptly?
Are review invitations being sent consistently?
Choose one improvement to implement each month and communicate the change to the entire team.
Recommended Starting Point
Begin with surgical, emergency, extensive restorative and high-anxiety patients. Once the team is completing those calls consistently, expand the program to new patients and patients completing larger treatment plans.
The goal should not simply be to generate more reviews. The strongest program improves the patient experience first and allows better reviews to follow naturally.