{"id":19583,"date":"2022-04-14T12:28:54","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T16:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/about\/?page_id=19583"},"modified":"2026-03-16T13:12:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T17:12:50","slug":"how-search-works","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/about\/how-search-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How Search Works"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How search works on Zocdoc<\/h2>\n
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\n Zocdoc is a technology company that offers a digital marketplace which connects patients and doctors. <\/h3>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Each month, millions of patients search Zocdoc\u2019s marketplace, free-of-charge, to discover a wide selection of healthcare providers that are relevant to the criteria they input. From there, patients can independently decide to select a provider based on their unique needs and schedule an appointment if they so desire.<\/p>\n

Zocdoc is not a healthcare provider \u2013 w\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ade do not recommend or refer patients to an individual or particular provider. We also do not judge or rank providers according to quality. Rather, our marketplace product is patient-initiated and patient-directed. It is designed to empower patients to determine which providers best fit their needs and whether or not they choose to book an appointment.<\/p>\n

Healthcare providers pay to be included in Zocdoc\u2019s marketplace. Across the country, tens of thousands of independent practices and more than 60 leading hospitals and health systems<\/a> participate in Zocdoc\u2019s marketplace, which enables them to serve patients seeking care.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\r\n

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\n Frequently Asked Questions <\/h3>\n \n <\/div>\n
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\n How does Zocdoc search work? <\/h6>\n <\/a>\n
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Search on Zocdoc works similarly to search on most sites that you\u2019re familiar with. Patients enter text into a search bar indicating, for example, a symptom, visit reason, specialty or doctor\u2019s name, along with their location and insurance information. Each patient\u2019s search results are based on what they\u2019ve told us they need and other patient-centric criteria. When a patient does a search on Zocdoc.com or in our app, we use well-established and widely-cited search methodologies to list the most relevant Zocdoc providers for that patient. We also analyze millions of searches and translate a patient’s own colloquial language to medical specialties and terminology (for example, \u201cgyno\u201d becomes \u201cobstetrician-gynecologist\u201d but the patient doesn\u2019t need to know how to spell the full specialty name), addressing the common disconnect between the way patients speak about their care and medical jargon. We like to say patients no longer have to be a doctor to find a doctor.<\/p>\n <\/div> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n

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\n What factors do you take into account in search rankings? <\/h6>\n <\/a>\n
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We take into account a variety of factors with each search, all centered around the information each patient inputs. The primary patient-centric factors include: the patient\u2019s visit reason, insurance information, and location, as well as the doctor\u2019s upcoming appointment availability. Patients can also filter to further refine search results based on availability, gender of doctor, and whether they see patients under age 18. Here\u2019s more on each of those:<\/p>\n