A single 1-star review can feel like a punch to the gut. But beyond the initial frustration lies a critical business moment. How you choose to respond can be the difference between losing future patients and earning their trust.

Tebra’s 2025 Patient Perspectives survey found that 50% of patients would move on to another provider after encountering just 3 negative reviews. That’s a risk few private practices can afford. If you don’t manage these well, you could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.

In this article, we’ll explain how you can respond to negative reviews and turn them into a powerful trust-building opportunity.

Ignoring a negative review or firing back a canned response can be tempting. It can feel personal in some ways, as you built your practice from the ground up. Emotionally, it stings. But a strategic approach can turn that feedback into fuel for improvement. Here's how.

Patients leave negative reviews when they feel unheard, frustrated, or disappointed. A defensive reply will only reinforce their negative perception.

Instead, understand why they felt the need to post. Talk with your staff about the end-to-end patient experience and identify potential friction points that may have prevented your team from providing quality care. For example, if a patient complains about waiting more than 2 hours, you know that's an area for improvement.

According to HIPAA, to even acknowledge that someone is your patient is to expose their PHI. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within HHS has made it clear that providers cannot disclose any PHI in public responses to online reviews, even if the patient has already shared details about their care.

In June 2023, a psychiatric practice had to pay $30,000 in fines because it disclosed PHI in response to 4 negative reviews.

The safest approach is to follow these guidelines:

For example:

Instead of: “I’m sorry to hear that you had this experience with your root canal surgery, Janet.”

Use: “Our staff aims to make sure all concerns are properly addressed. Please contact us directly at [number] so we can assist you further.”

The goal of your response is to balance empathy with professionalism. You’re trying not to win an argument but to show potential patients that you’re committed to quality care.

A well-crafted response:

Crafting the perfect response under pressure can be challenging. This is where an AI-powered tool can help. For example, Tebra’s AI Review Replies analyzes the sentiment of a review and automatically generates professional, HIPAA-compliant drafts. You can then edit them to match your practice’s voice before posting. 

This ensures every response is both thoughtful and safe, like this one:

"We appreciate all feedback about our practice and welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns directly. Please get in touch with our office at [number] to speak with our practice manager."

The most powerful response to negative feedback goes beyond the initial reply:

For example, if you notice multiple comments about hold times, you can post:

"We've recently upgraded our phone system to reduce hold times thanks to feedback like yours."

As counterintuitive as it sounds, the occasional 1-star review can actually be good for business. A wall of only 5-star reviews can look suspicious to savvy patients, but a few critical reviews can add authenticity.

When you handle negative feedback transparently, you can:

Tebra’s survey also found that 78% of patients would return after leaving a negative review if the practice addressed their concerns. So, think of these reviews as free practice audits that give you unfiltered insights into the patient experience.

Practice staff are often stretched thin with manual documentation and administrative work. Add reputation management to the mix, and the burden only increases. This is where AI can free your team to focus on patient care instead of typing responses.

Tebra's AI Review Replies analyzes review sentiment and generates HIPAA-compliant responses you can post as is or tailor to your practice's voice. This maintains consistency and control while freeing up your staff. AI Review Replies:

The platform also offers an AI Review Insights feature that identifies patterns across multiple reviews. As a result, you can spot issues that come up often and resolve them as soon as possible.

Practices that respond to 100% of reviews improve bookings by 16.4%, according to SoCi, showing how proactive reputation management directly impacts your bottom line.

Every 1-star review is a moment of truth: you can treat it either as an attack or as an opportunity to demonstrate your practice’s integrity. By responding professionally, listening to feedback, and making tangible improvements, you show current and future patients that you care. 

With the right mindset and tools, tough feedback can become a valuable signal for growth.

Don’t let negative reviews define your practice. Tebra’s AI Review Replies and AI Review Insights can help you respond faster, understand patient sentiment, and act on the things that actually matter — all while staying HIPAA-compliant.

Learn more about Tebra’s reputation management tools by booking a demo today.