"customer" (patient) reviews when customers are protected by privacy laws

Hello everyone,

How's that for a grabby title, lol? OK this topic may be towards the esoteric, but as an internet technology professional & reputation management guru who is also the spouse of a physician, I find it really interesting.

Have you ever wondered about the dilemma doctors find themselves in when a patient leaves a negative review? Their hands are bound by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). It is a violation of HIPPA to merely acknowledge a relationship with an individual as a patient, which pretty much precludes any response other than, "without confirming or denying that you are or are not a patient of mine, let me say that....."

So after not acknowledging that you have any relationship with a person, a doc could go on to speak hypothetically about what their rebuttal would be if they were allowed to post one. That would begin to sound like the way mobsters talk to police on TV when serving as confidential informants... ("Hypothetically speaking, If I had a doctor friend who got a negative review very similar to the one we're discussing...."

Thus, we have a puzzle. And puzzles excite me. I was further excited [wiping sweat from brow] to find the latest newsletter from Health Grades include the headline, "Online Reviews: What Are Your Rights?"

When I get excited, I like to share/discuss. So here is the link to the video:

In closing, my doctor wife has only positive reviews and damn good ones.

What would you do in a world where you were forbidden to respond to reviews of you?

the end.