What can a physical therapist say, and not say, when replying to a review?
Short answer
You can say thank you, show sympathy, explain your practice policy in general terms and invite the person to talk. You say nothing about the writer's condition, treatment or recovery, and you do not confirm that they are in your care. Agree within the practice who replies, within what time frame and with which safe standard phrases, so it never depends on one busy day.
In a physical therapy practice, reviews are rarely about a single moment. Someone comes in six or twelve times, sometimes sees different colleagues, waits weeks for a slot and at the end receives a bill that turns out different from what they expected. What lands in the review is often the sum of all those moments.
In the US the profession is usually called physical therapy; in the UK and Ireland, physiotherapy. Either way, you work with health data and you have a duty of confidentiality. This article is mainly about everyday practice: who replies, how quickly, with which phrases, and what to do with complaints about waiting lists and bills. It is not legal advice.
What can and cannot go in a reply?
You can: say thank you, show sympathy, explain how the practice works in general and invite them to get in touch. You cannot: confirm that the writer is or was in your care, or say anything about their symptoms, exercises, recovery or number of sessions.
Even if someone mentions a herniated disc or knee surgery in the review themselves, that is no free pass. In 2025, the Regional Disciplinary Tribunal for Healthcare in Amsterdam, a Dutch disciplinary tribunal for healthcare, issued a warning to a dentist who shared medical information in a reply to a review. According to the tribunal, a patient sharing information themselves does not imply consent. That case involved a dentist, but physical therapists also have a duty of confidentiality. So the same caution is wise.
Test every reply with one question: could an outsider conclude from this that the person was treated here, or what for?
You will find more background on confidentiality and the GDPR in our article on how dentists reply to Google reviews. If you are unsure about a specific case, check with your professional association.
Who in the practice should answer reviews?
Choose one or two fixed people, usually the practice owner or practice manager, and do not let each therapist reply separately. That keeps the tone consistent, someone knows what has already been said and phrases that give away too much are spotted sooner.
In a group practice it seems logical for the therapist named in a review to reply personally. That is exactly what makes it risky: someone who worked with a person for weeks is more likely to write something personal that says too much. Do let the named colleague read the draft, but have the designated person post the reply.
- Decide who replies and who covers during vacations or sick leave.
- Agree on a time frame. In a BrightLocal survey of 1,002 US consumers (2026), 81% expect a response within a week and 32% want one by the following day. Two fixed moments a week, for example Monday and Thursday, are manageable for most practices.
- Do not ask colleagues to write reviews themselves. Google prohibits reviews with a conflict of interest, such as those by current or former employees, as well as rewards for reviews.
A tool can do the groundwork. In ReplyHero you can set each location so every suggested reply waits in the portal until someone approves or edits it. For a healthcare practice, that is the wisest setting.
Which standard phrases can you use safely?
Phrases that are about the practice and not the person: thank-yous, explanations of how you work, an invitation to call. Use them as building blocks and make each reply personal with something from the review that says nothing about health, such as the welcome, the atmosphere or how easy you were to reach.
A fixed bank of phrases prevents mistakes on a busy day. Do make sure replies do not all become identical: in the same BrightLocal survey of US consumers (2026), templated or generic responses make 50% of consumers unlikely to choose a business. Google also advises not sending everyone the same thank-you.
| Situation | Safe building block |
|---|---|
| Positive review | "Thank you so much for your kind words. The whole team enjoys reading this." |
| Therapist mentioned by name | "We are happy to pass your compliment on to the team." Do not confirm that this colleague treated the writer. |
| Complaint about results | "We are sorry you feel this way. We do not discuss personal situations online, but we would like to hear from you on the practice's phone number." |
| Complaint about the waiting list | "The wait for a first appointment is currently longer than we would like. We schedule new referrals in order of arrival." Only if that is true. |
| Complaint about a bill or insurance coverage | "We are glad to sort out questions about bills and coverage together with you. Feel free to call or email us." |
| Star-only review | "Thank you for your rating!" Short is fine, but vary it. |
How do you respond to complaints about waiting lists, appointments and bills?
These are the complaints you can say the most about, because they concern your practice policy and not someone's health. Explain the policy briefly and honestly, without referring to the writer's situation, and offer a conversation for anything personal.
- Waiting lists. Waiting while in pain is frustrating. Acknowledge that and explain in general terms how you handle new referrals. Do not promise a time frame you cannot meet.
- Appointments and cancellations. Complaints about being charged for a missed appointment are common. Refer to your cancellation policy and where to find it, without saying whether or when the writer missed an appointment.
- Bills and coverage. Whether treatment is covered depends on the patient's insurance or health system. Do not explain in a review what someone was or was not reimbursed. Invite them to sort it out together, and make sure your website explains clearly how it works.
- Results. "It did not help" is the hardest complaint, because any reply on substance is immediately about health. Stick to sympathy and an invitation.
How a practice can answer a review in 5 steps
Have the designated person pick up the review, decide whether it is about practice matters or treatment, choose the right building block, add one personal sentence without health information and have a second person read it before the reply appears on Google.
- Spot it. Route notifications of new reviews to the designated person, not to the whole practice.
- Sort it. Is the review about practice matters such as the waiting list, a bill or how easy you were to reach, or about treatment? With practice matters you can explain more; with treatment, almost nothing.
- Write it. Start with the right building block, add one personal sentence about something non-medical from the review and close with your name and role.
- Check it. Have a colleague ask the test question: does this reply give away that someone was a patient here, or what for?
- Follow up. Briefly discuss complaints at your team meeting and, where possible, get in touch through the usual channels, outside Google.
Example replies
Use them as a starting point and make them personal: mention something from the review and sign with your own name.
Negative review about a charged appointment
I got sick and canceled my appointment by phone the day before. Still, I received a bill for a missed appointment. Very customer-unfriendly.
Reply
Hi Josh,
Thank you for your message. An unexpected bill is always annoying, and we understand your frustration.
Our cancellation policy is on our website and posted at the front desk. If something went wrong when a cancellation was processed, we of course want to put it right. We do not discuss personal details here on Google, so please feel free to call or email us using the contact details on our website. We will sort it out together.
Best,
Maria, practice manager, Riverside Physical Therapy
Mixed review about a long wait
Great therapist and clear explanations, but I had to wait five weeks before I could get in. When you are in pain, that is really long.
Reply
Hi Linda,
Thank you for your honest review and for the kind words about the explanations. Those compliments go to the whole team.
Waiting a long time for a first appointment is frustrating, and when you are in pain it feels even longer. Right now demand is greater than the number of slots. We schedule new referrals in order of arrival and are looking for an additional colleague. Anyone with questions in the meantime is always welcome to call us.
Best,
Tom, practice owner, Birchwood Physio
Positive review naming a therapist
After my knee surgery I thought I would never play soccer again. Thanks to Sarah I am back on the field. Great support and always a laugh!
Reply
Hi Dan,
What lovely words, thank you! In our practice, a good atmosphere and a laugh matter just as much as expertise, so we are very happy to read this.
We will gladly pass your compliment on to the whole team. Enjoy your time on the field!
Best,
Tom, practice owner, Birchwood Physio
ReplyHero for physical therapists
ReplyHero reads the reviews on your Google Business Profile and writes a personal reply to every new review, in the tone you choose. For each location you decide how the reply reaches Google:
- Fully automatic: ReplyHero posts the reply right away.
- With a review window: the reply waits for you for 48 hours. If you do nothing, ReplyHero posts it.
- You approve: you read the reply in your portal and post it with one click, or edit it first.
Free forever for one location, or from $9 per location per month. Cancel any month. See pricing.
Start with ReplyHeroFrequently asked questions
Can I reply if a patient mentions me by name?
Yes, but reply on behalf of the practice and do not confirm that you treated that person. A phrase like "we will pass your compliment on to the team" is warm and safe. If you want to thank someone personally, do it outside Google, for example at a next appointment, rather than in a public reply.
Do the same rules apply in the UK, Ireland or the US?
The law differs by country, but physical therapists and physiotherapists everywhere work with confidential health information. The disciplinary ruling from Amsterdam is not binding outside the Netherlands. The cautious approach in this article is a safe choice wherever you practice. If in doubt, check with your professional association or regulator.
How quickly should the practice respond to a review?
Within a week is a good minimum; within a few working days is better. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of US consumers, 81% expect a response within a week. Two fixed moments a week and a fixed stand-in during absences ensure no review is left sitting.
Can I get a review about our waiting list removed?
No, not because you disagree with it. You can report a review to Google if it breaks the rules, for example in the case of a conflict of interest, but a genuine experience with a long wait does not fall under that. An honest reply about your waiting list actually shows readers that you are aware of the problem.
Should I also reply to star-only reviews?
You do not have to, but it helps. In BrightLocal's survey (2026, US consumers), 80% say they are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews. A short thank-you is enough. Vary the wording, so your profile is not full of identical sentences.
Sources
- Regional Disciplinary Tribunal for Healthcare Amsterdam (Netherlands), ECLI:NL:TGZRAMS:2025:59 (March 14, 2025)
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
- Google, User contributed content policy
- Google, Tips to write better review replies
