A review about a painful extraction was written for a clinic across town, not mine
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 review about a tooth extraction showed up on my Google listing. It described a rough extraction that left the patient bruised and bleeding for days. The reviewer complained about a downtown clinic with valet parking and a large waiting room. My practice is a small suburban office with a gravel lot and no valet. The dentist's first name in the review did not even match mine. It was clear the reviewer had selected the wrong business when posting. The clinic they described operates several miles away under a different name.
The extraction described did not happen at my office, and the venue details prove it. My practice has never had valet parking or a large downtown waiting room. This was plainly a misdirected review, meant for a different practice entirely. Still, I could not post a correction that referenced the patient's experience, even to redirect them. Explaining "this happened at another clinic" would imply I know the person was not my patient, which HIPAA treats as protected. The mismatch was obvious to anyone paying attention, but reviews are rarely read that closely. I had to rely on the platform rather than my own voice.
My longtime patients know my office does not resemble the one in the review. New patients, however, took the extraction story at face value. A couple of prospective patients canceled consultations after reading it. My staff, who take pride in gentle extractions, were frustrated to be blamed for another office's work. The reputational hit felt especially unfair because the review was not even about us. I felt a low-grade anxiety every time I imagined someone reading it and moving on. It is hard to defend against a mistake that has nothing to do with you.
I reported the review to Google and pointed out the mismatched venue and dentist name. The initial report was rejected with a standard policy message. I submitted the other clinic's details and highlighted the valet parking discrepancy. Google eventually removed the review from my profile after a second report. I consulted an attorney to be sure I was handling it correctly. He confirmed that a public clarification risked a HIPAA problem despite the obvious mix-up. So I let the reporting process do the work while I kept quiet.