Swept into an online argument I never chose to be part of
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.
During a period of heightened public tension around a health topic, my professional page was targeted by dozens of one star reviews within a few days, almost none from actual patients and many from accounts in other states.
It had nothing to do with the care I provide day to day and everything to do with a broader public argument I had unwillingly become a symbol of.
Patients I had cared for over years suddenly saw a wall of hostility on my page, which required awkward reassurance in the clinic, and I found myself explaining to my own family why strangers who had never met me were rating me one star. It taught me how quickly a reputation built patient by patient can be swamped by people who were never patients at all.
Reporting each review individually felt like bailing out a boat with a spoon, and I lost an entire weekend to it. Facebook eventually removed some of the most obvious ones, but only after weeks, and by then the damage had been done.