Patient testimonials are a burgeoning source of marketing material used by healthcare providers The DayClips appointment scheduling platform is ideally suited for marketing healthcare practices through the use of patient testimonials.  Many service providers have used DayClips to retain existing patients and attract new patients through the use of testimonials.  Some of the most common questions posed by healthcare providers relate to the use of testimonials and their compliance with regulations that include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

     Healthcare providers should heed all federal and state laws when posting testimonials containing sensitive confidential health information known as protected health information (PHI) on the internet.  Healthcare providers need to be aware that written authorization is required prior to any use or disclosure of the patient’s PHI for testimonials used for marketing purposes.  Generally, some of the key elements of HIPAA authorizations include a description of the information to be used or disclosed, and expiration date for a disclosure, the signature of the patient, the date authorization was signed, financial remuneration, and that disclosure may no longer be protected by HIPAA.

     Proper authorization is the first step in obtaining HIPAA compliance for marketing of patient testimonials.  The HIPAA privacy rule requires that financial remuneration provided to patients for marketing purposes be included in the authorization.  Remuneration the patient receives directly from the healthcare provider or indirectly from a third party whose product or service is promoted must be disclosed in the authorization.

     Testimonials are in part regulated by the Federal Trade Commission to prevent unfair competition and unfair or deceptive business acts that affect trade and commerce.  In 2009, the FTC released “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements” to guide healthcare providers.  The guidelines define an endorsement as an advertising message that a consumer is likely to believe reflects the findings or experience of the endorser.  The endorsement must consist of an honest opinion, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser and should be reflective of similar experience of other patients using a similar product or service.

     Healthcare providers who use testimonials on their website are required to follow HIPAA and all other federal and state statutes.  Written authorizations for patient testimonials need to be retained in case of a legal proceeding or audit.  Many healthcare providers find DayClips to be useful for presenting testimonials.  DayClips links to review sites that are selected by DayClips or the healthcare provider.  The two most frequently review sites include Yelp and HealthGrades.  Both of these sites have widespread appeal and are used by potential patients to scrutinize providers on the internet.

     The DayClips links to review sites are unbiased.  DayClips does not aggregate or blend star ratings and review counts with other review sites.  Data from Yelp, HealthGrades, Vitals, and other review sites are presented without modification.  In addition, DayClips does not selectively show only positive or negative review excerpts.  DayClips is regarded by many of our users as a reliable and up-to-date source of reviews from leading review sites.  Many users like and appreciate DayClips is the single source for aggregate review sites.

     The use of testimonials as a marketing strategy by healthcare providers continues to grow and evolve.  DayClips is used by many healthcare providers to display testimonials that have been aggregated by some of the most popular review sites on the internet.  Service providers who use review sites on their DayClips scheduling page can instill insight and confidence that often lead to new appointments.