A one-star review meant for a different Dr. Hartman landed on my brand-new page
This account was submitted by a healthcare provider and de-identified before publication. Details that could identify a patient or practice have been removed, and it is shared with the provider’s consent.
A one-star Google review appeared on my profile complaining about a painful filling. It described an old cavity refilled badly, with sensitivity that lingered for months. The reviewer named the dentist as "Dr. Hartman," which is my name. But the office they described, its location and hours, did not match mine at all. There is another Dr. Hartman practicing about twenty minutes away in the same county. The review clearly belonged on that dentist's profile, not mine. Google's map listing had somehow attached the review to my new practice.
I had been open barely a year and had performed only a modest number of fillings. The visit described did not occur in my office, and the address the reviewer referenced is not mine. This was a case of mistaken identity, two dentists with the same surname in one county. Even so, I could not publicly reply "you have the wrong Dr. Hartman," because doing so implies knowledge of who is or is not my patient. HIPAA does not bend for a mix-up that is not even my fault. I could not confirm that the person was someone else's patient without touching protected territory. The safest response was, once again, no response at all.
For a practice in its first year, one mismatched review can define the whole profile. Prospective patients had almost no other reviews to weigh it against. A few callers referenced the filling complaint before deciding to book elsewhere. The anxiety of watching a stranger's bad experience define my brand was intense. I felt punished for a coincidence of surnames. My small staff worried aloud about how many patients we were quietly losing. It is a disorienting way to begin a career.
I reported the review to Google, explaining that it belonged to a different dentist with the same name. The first response was that the review did not violate policy. I provided the other office's address and the mismatch in the review's details. After several weeks, Google moved the review off my profile. I consulted briefly with an attorney, who confirmed I could not clarify the mix-up publicly. Her advice was to work the reporting channels and stay patient. The system eventually corrected itself, but only after weeks of worry.