I won't argue against any of the points or approaches outlined above. Ignoring these sites is a perfectly reasonable approach. As is taking formal legal action, when necessary.
As part of a more general attempt to feel empowered in situations like these, we are taking a more proactive stance. We all have plenty of patients who are happy with the care we provide; many of them actually verbalize their appreciation. We will identify those patients (perhaps after they say something nice) and hand them a piece of paper with their follow-up appointment and other paperwork. The paper will say something like "Thanks for the kind words. If you would care to share them with others, please go to the following doctor review websites and post your feelings about our practice and the care you have received here".
Maybe if the ratio of positive votes to complainers on these sites approaches say, twenty-to-one, even those who use the reviews will put the complaints in the appropriate perspective.
