What is review gating?
Review gating is the practice of first checking whether a customer or patient is satisfied, then asking only satisfied people to leave a public review while sending unhappy ones to a private feedback form. Google's policies prohibit selectively soliciting positive reviews. The FTC also treats review practices that distort overall sentiment as potentially deceptive. Practices should ask every patient the same way.
- Gating = filter by sentiment, then invite only happy patients to review publicly.
- Google prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews.
- FTC rules address practices that distort reviews, and a 2024 rule bans some review suppression.
- The alternative: ask everyone, make it easy and respond well.
- Every practice welcome — retainers from $499/mo, Goals-Driven engagements, Performance-Linked Payout Models available.
- Dallas, Texas LLC
- US client team · Central Time (CST)
- 25+ US healthcare clients
- BAA signed with every client
- HIPAA compliance training across client and delivery teams
- Contracts and invoices in USD
-
Primary Care · North Dallas, TXCase study →
-
MedSpa · North Dallas, TX
-
Skin Care · Beverly Hills, CA
-
Dental · Christiansburg, VACase study →
-
Pediatrics · Blacksburg, VACase study →
-
Pediatric Dentistry · Blacksburg, VACase study →
-
Dental · Roanoke, VACase study →
-
Functional Medicine · Telehealth · USACase study →
“They were able to get all my ideas and work with me over a period of three to four months and create this amazing website. It's super customized, very modern, and it incorporates all the elements that I had wanted — the patient portal, nice pictures, a very interactive website, patient reviews. I would highly recommend their company to anyone who wants to make an excellent website.”
What review gating is
A typical gated flow sends a message after a visit asking "How was your experience?" If the patient picks a high score, they get a link to Google or another review site. If they pick a low score, they get a private form instead. The effect is a public rating that reflects only the happiest patients.
Google's review policies say businesses should not discourage negative reviews or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers. Profiles found doing this can have reviews removed or face other enforcement. The FTC's Endorsement Guides, revised in 2023, warn that procuring reviews in ways that distort what customers really think can be deceptive. The FTC's 2024 rule on consumer reviews and testimonials separately bans certain review suppression, such as using threats to stop negative reviews or misrepresenting that displayed reviews are all or most reviews when negative ones are hidden.
Collecting private feedback is fine. The problem is using that feedback to decide who gets asked for a public review.
How it applies to practice marketing
- Ask every patient: send the same review request to everyone, or to a neutral sample, without filtering by satisfaction.
- Separate feedback from reviews: you can run a private survey, but the public review link should go to all, not only high scorers.
- No incentives tied to sentiment: do not offer rewards for positive reviews.
- Respond carefully: reply to negative reviews without confirming that the reviewer is a patient or sharing health details, because HIPAA applies.
For how-tos, see getting more Google reviews, responding to negative reviews under HIPAA and patient reviews and FTC rules.
Common mistakes and limits
Many review tools offer gating as a default feature, so practices may be gating without realizing it. Check the settings and the actual messages patients receive. Another mistake is assuming gating is fine on platforms other than Google. Each platform has its own rules, and FTC rules apply regardless of platform.
Ending gating can lower an average rating at first. That is a more accurate picture, and a steady flow of genuine reviews usually matters more to patients than a perfect score. Use the private feedback to fix real problems at the front desk and in care. For specific programs, check current platform policies and with your compliance team.
Related pages from the US team
Get more Google reviews
Compliant review requests for practices.
Respond to negative reviews under HIPAA
Replies that do not disclose PHI.
Healthcare reputation management, USA
Review programs done the right way.
US healthcare marketing glossary
Every term, defined in plain English.
Every practice welcome — Goals-Driven engagements from $499/mo
We benchmark your last 90 days, agree monthly goals with you, and track them live on Ichelon Agency OS with a report every Monday. Performance-Linked Payout Models are available. Our US leadership is based in Dallas, and strategy calls run in US business hours.
Common questions
Is review gating allowed on Google?
No. Google's review policies prohibit selectively soliciting positive reviews and discouraging negative ones. Practices should send review requests to all patients, or a neutral group, rather than only to those who report a good experience.
Is review gating illegal?
It can create legal risk. The FTC treats review practices that distort overall customer sentiment as potentially deceptive, and its 2024 reviews rule bans certain forms of review suppression. Whether a specific practice is unlawful depends on the facts, so check with your legal team.
Can a practice still collect private patient feedback?
Yes. Private surveys are useful and allowed. What a practice should not do is use the survey score to decide who receives a link to leave a public review. Every patient should get the same chance to review publicly.
How should a practice ask for reviews instead?
Ask every patient through the same channel after their visit, keep the request short with a direct link, avoid incentives tied to positive reviews, and respond to all reviews without disclosing health information or confirming the reviewer is a patient.
A note on this guide: it explains marketing practice, not legal advice. Rules on privacy, advertising and insurance change and vary by state, so confirm anything compliance-related with your own counsel.
Not sure if your review tool is gating?
Book a 30-minute call. We'll review your review-request flow and settings against Google and FTC rules.