Replies to reviews, by situation

How to reply to a patient review without breaking privacy

Write a reply that would read the same if the reviewer had never visited. Don't confirm they are a patient, don't mention dates, conditions or treatment, and invite them to call the office privately.

Dental office, general

Thank you for taking the time to write. To protect everyone's privacy, we never discuss whether someone is a patient or any details of care in a public forum. We take every concern seriously and would welcome a conversation. Please call our office manager, [Name], at [phone].

Edit before posting: only promise what is true for your business.

6 more example replies: Wait time complaint; Therapist or counseling practice; Billing complaint at a clinic; Accusation against a clinician; Pharmacy, brief; Veterinary practice, brief

4 steps

  1. Step 1: Check the draft against one test: does any word confirm this person is or was a patient? Remove it.
    5 min
  2. Step 2: If your practice has a privacy or compliance contact, have them read the draft before it goes up.
    1 day
  3. Step 3: Open your profile at business.google.com, select Read reviews, select the Reply icon, paste the reply and select Reply.
    2 min
  4. Step 4: Follow up only through your normal private channels if the person contacts the office.
    varies
  5. Arrived: The reviewer sees that you read their concern and how to reach you. Readers see a practice that keeps patient matters private, which is itself reassuring.

Checked 14 Nov 2026 · source: support.google.com

Example replies

Before you copyEdit every reply to fit: only promise actions, refunds or policies that are true for your business, and replace anything in [brackets].

Dental office, general

Thank you for taking the time to write. To protect everyone's privacy, we never discuss whether someone is a patient or any details of care in a public forum. We take every concern seriously and would welcome a conversation. Please call our office manager, [Name], at [phone].

Wait time complaint

We appreciate this feedback. Long waits are frustrating, and we're reviewing how we schedule our busiest mornings. We're not able to discuss any individual situation here, but our front desk lead, [Name], is glad to talk privately at [phone] or [email].

Therapist or counseling practice

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Our practice doesn't confirm or discuss any client relationship online, out of respect for confidentiality. If you'd like to talk about a concern, please contact our office directly at [phone]. We read every message and respond personally.

Billing complaint at a clinic

Thank you for raising this. Billing questions can be confusing, and we want everyone to get a clear answer. For privacy reasons, we can't discuss any account or care details here. Our billing coordinator, [Name], can be reached at [phone] on weekdays from 8 to 5 and will help with any questions.

Accusation against a clinician

We take concerns about our clinicians seriously and review every one through our internal process. Because we protect privacy, we won't discuss any person or situation in this forum. Anyone with a concern can reach our practice administrator, [Name], directly at [email].

Pharmacy, brief

Thanks for posting. We aren't able to discuss anyone's prescriptions or details online, but we'd like to hear more and help where we can. Please call us at [phone] and ask for the pharmacist on duty.

Veterinary practice, brief

Thank you for taking the time to write. We keep every client's and every animal's records private, so we won't discuss any visit here. We'd like to hear more: please call [Name], our practice manager, at [phone].

The one rule for healthcare replies

For most businesses, a good reply references the customer’s visit. For a medical, dental, therapy, veterinary or pharmacy practice, that habit is the problem. Saying “we’re sorry your cleaning ran late” tells the world the reviewer is your patient and what they came in for. Even a reviewer who has already shared their own diagnosis hasn’t given you permission to discuss it.

So write every reply as if the reviewer might never have walked through your door. Talk about your standards, your process and how to reach you, not about this person.

Privacy rules, in general terms

Human healthcare (doctors, dentists, therapists, clinics, pharmacies). In the US, the health regulator has been explicit: the HHS Office for Civil Rights says providers cannot disclose patients’ protected health information when they reply to negative online reviews, and it has settled cases against dental and medical practices whose replies named patients, treatment or insurance details. In one 2023 case, the practice had done it in replies to four different reviewers. Other countries and states have their own patient-confidentiality laws, and professional codes add rules on top. In many settings, confirming that someone is a patient already counts as a disclosure.

Veterinary practices. Animal records are not covered by US health privacy law for patients, but many states’ veterinary practice rules and the profession’s own codes treat client and animal records as confidential. The duty is different in source, and the reply rule is the same: don’t confirm the client, the animal or the visit.

This page isn’t legal advice, and the details vary by place and profession. If your practice has a privacy or compliance officer, show them your standard reply wording once and reuse that pattern. For anything unusual, ask them or your lawyer.

Google’s content policy separately bans posting other people’s personal or private information, and replies are checked against that policy before they appear. A reply that names a condition or a visit can be held back on those grounds alone.

Show empathy without confirming anything

You can still sound human. Phrases that work:

  • “Concerns like this matter to us.”
  • “Anyone who feels this way is welcome to call.”
  • “We review every piece of feedback through our internal process.”

Phrases to avoid: “your appointment,” “when you came in,” “your treatment,” “your child,” “our records show.” Each one confirms a relationship or reveals care.

What to avoid besides patient details

  • Correcting the reviewer’s medical account, even if it is wrong.
  • Naming the staff member involved.
  • Offers like a free visit or a waived bill in the reply. Google treats incentives for review changes or removal as prohibited, and in healthcare an offer also confirms the relationship.
  • Long replies. Short and general reads as discreet; long and defensive reads as hiding something.

Reviews that attack a clinician

Report the review if it uses profanity to insult staff, posts a clinician’s personal information, makes unsubstantiated accusations of wrongdoing, or comes from a competitor or former employee. Those categories appear in Google’s prohibited content policy. A report doesn’t change the reply rule: keep any reply general while Google decides.

If it doesn't work

  • Your draft says 'your visit' or 'your appointment': that confirms a relationship. Rewrite in general terms.
  • The reviewer posted their own diagnosis or details: you still can't discuss or confirm them. Their choice to share doesn't change yours.
  • The review attacks a named clinician with profanity or unsupported accusations: report it under Google's offensive content or profanity policy, and still keep any reply general.
  • A reply wasn't approved: Google will ask you to edit it. Shorten it and remove anything about a person.

Questions owners ask

Why can't I say 'we're sorry about your visit'?

Because it confirms the reviewer was there. In healthcare, the fact that someone is a patient is often treated as private on its own, before you say anything about care. Phrases like 'any patient who feels this way' or 'concerns like this' let you show empathy without confirming anything.

The review is false and damages our reputation. Can I correct the facts?

Not with patient details. Correcting the record usually means revealing information about care, which is the thing to avoid. Describe your general policies instead, report the review if it breaks a Google content policy, and take advice from your privacy or legal adviser on anything further.

Is this page legal advice about health privacy laws?

No. Privacy rules for healthcare providers differ by country, state and profession, and this page only describes the general principle of not confirming patient relationships in public. Your professional body, compliance officer or lawyer is the right place for specifics.

Can a doctor have a separate profile and reply there?

Whoever replies, the same rule applies: keep it general. On a Business Profile, Google posts approved replies as the business and doesn't show your personal name, so a reply speaks for the whole practice. See the practitioner listings page for how individual profiles work.

Sources

Checked 14 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.

Related fixes

Written by Ellis Marr (a pen name) · Checked 14 Nov 2026 · How we check