--- title: "Therapy review replies: protect private information" description: "Plan a therapy practice review response process that protects private information, assigns an approver, and keeps personal concerns in approved channels." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/therapy-practice-negative-review-privacy" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Therapy review replies: protect private information Set a privacy boundary before your therapy practice responds to a negative public review. Have the designated reviewer decide whether to reply and approve the exact text. Keep patient identity, appointment details, treatment, and billing history out of a routine public response. Use a public-response policy the practice approves. Do not give a marketing writer access to patient records to make a reply more specific. ## Establish the rules for your practice HHS explains that HIPAA applies to covered entities and business associates. Have the practice's responsible reviewer determine its status and applicable privacy requirements. [HHS covered-entity guidance, checked 2026.10.23](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/covered-entities/index.html). HHS has documented a settlement with a dental practice concerning protected health information disclosed in online review replies. [HHS review-response enforcement record, checked 2026.10.23](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/new-vision/index.html). That record concerns a dental practice. Use it as a reason to obtain practice-specific review, rather than a determination about any particular therapy response. Do not assume that a person's public review authorizes your office to add private information. ## Decide what a public response may contain Write the boundaries before a difficult review arrives. Name the person who approves replies and the circumstances that require privacy or legal review. Separate general service information from anything that confirms an individual's relationship with the practice. Consider an approved response that offers a general office contact route without referring to a visit. Have the reviewer check whether the wording implies that the person is a patient. Keep any proposed text in draft until that check is complete. | Material in the draft | Proposed handling | |---|---| | General office contact route | Verify and approve for public use | | Appointment or attendance detail | Exclude from routine public response | | Treatment, diagnosis, or clinical history | Exclude and route to the responsible reviewer | | Billing or insurance dispute | Handle through the approved private process | | Reviewer identity match | Do not infer or announce a patient relationship | | Staff recollection | Keep outside the public draft | These are proposed response boundaries for your reviewer to adopt or amend. They do not authorize publication of a specific reply. ## Keep private resolution separate Have staff follow the practice's approved identity and communication procedures for any private follow-up. A public review name should not serve as the sole identity check. Avoid a public invitation that promises a refund, outcome, or response deadline the practice has not approved. Do not publish a private resolution later as a success story without a separate review of permission and content. If the practice believes a review violates a platform's policy, have the authorized account owner assess the platform's current reporting process. Keep reporting, public replies, and private case handling as separate decisions. Do not promise review removal. ## Give the website builder a limited brief Supply approved public contact wording and page destinations. Keep patient names, screenshots containing private information, and clinical records out of a website repair request. If the site displays reviews, inventory which comments appear and where they came from. Have the reviewer approve any republication and surrounding claims. A review-response policy does not automatically approve a testimonial page. ## Save the final approval record Record the exact proposed text, reviewer decision, destination, and publication status. A saved draft remains a draft until an authorized person publishes it. Name the person who handles later edits or removals. Bring the approved public-contact requirements to the [therapy and outpatient practice hub](/for/therapy-and-outpatient-health). Ask Scale With Search to define the website portion in your [written scope request](/work). Continue the website review: [AI-native therapy practices: the first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-therapy-practice-first-functions); [Therapy website: make estimate information findable](/articles/therapy-good-faith-estimate-website-notice); [Therapy Google profiles: review the shared-office setup](/articles/therapy-google-practitioner-profile-shared-office); [Therapy privacy notices: publish the approved version](/articles/therapy-notice-of-privacy-practices-website); [Therapy office directions: explain the final approach](/articles/therapy-office-directions-website-page); [Therapy paperwork downloads: check the actual files](/articles/therapy-patient-paperwork-download-page); [Therapy practice AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/therapy-practice-ai-data-approval-spend-rules); [Therapy insurance page: publish checked plan details](/articles/therapy-practice-insurance-website-page); [Therapy practice provider bios: publish checked facts](/articles/therapy-practice-provider-bio-pages); [Therapy waitlist pages: state what a request means](/articles/therapy-practice-waitlist-website-page); [Therapy telehealth pages: state your service area](/articles/therapy-telehealth-service-area-page); [Therapy website forms: review fields and tracking](/articles/therapy-website-intake-form-tracking-review). [therapy and outpatient health practices](/for/therapy-and-outpatient-health): website and search resources. ## Related: therapy and outpatient health practices - [Therapy practice provider bios: publish checked facts](/articles/therapy-practice-provider-bio-pages) - [Therapy waitlist pages: state what a request means](/articles/therapy-practice-waitlist-website-page) - [Therapy telehealth pages: state your service area](/articles/therapy-telehealth-service-area-page) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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