The doctors and other providers in Zocdoc’s network are independent professionals who choose to use the platform to connect with patients. Zocdoc does not employ them, run their practices, or direct their care.
Zocdoc is a healthcare access infrastructure, helping patients find and book care. Here’s how that relationship works and what it means for the provider you book.
What does it mean to be a provider on Zocdoc?
Being “on Zocdoc,” or “in Zocdoc’s network,” means a provider uses the platform to connect with patients and accept new bookings. It describes how they connect with patients, not who employs them, owns their practice, or oversees their care.
Providers set their own hours, make their own clinical decisions, and choose whether to use Zocdoc at all.
Does Zocdoc employ the doctors in its network?
No. The doctors in Zocdoc’s network are independent providers, not Zocdoc employees or contractors. Zocdoc does not employ clinicians or control how they practice, and does not pay them to participate in Zocdoc. Providers and their practices remain responsible for delivering care.
Are the providers on Zocdoc licensed and eligible to practice?
The providers who use Zocdoc are independent, licensed healthcare professionals. To be bookable on Zocdoc, a provider must hold an active, unrestricted license in their specialty and state, where required, and must not be excluded from federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Providers and their practices are responsible for maintaining valid licensure and for keeping the details on their profile, such as specialty, education, and board certifications, accurate and up to date.
For more details, see how Zocdoc vets the doctors you see.
Does provider verification reflect a provider’s personal views or conduct?
No. Zocdoc’s verification process confirms that a provider meets certain credentialing and eligibility requirements, including licensure. It is not a review or endorsement of a provider’s personal views or conduct outside the platform.
Zocdoc verifies a provider’s eligibility to participate on the platform, but providers remain responsible for their own views and conduct.
Does Zocdoc recommend or endorse specific doctors?
No. Zocdoc is not a referral service, and it does not evaluate or recommend providers based on the quality of the care they provide. Zocdoc’s search function orders results based on objective, user-centric criteria, so that we can show users the providers that best match what they are looking for. Providers may appear in search results based on information relevant to a patient’s search, such as availability, insurance, visit reason, and reviews. You can learn more about how search works on Zocdoc here.
Choosing a provider is your decision. Zocdoc gives you information to help make it, including verified credentials, real-time availability, and reviews from real patients.
The bottom line
Zocdoc is healthcare access infrastructure, not a doctor’s office and not an employer. The providers in its network are independent, licensed professionals who use the platform to connect with patients.
Verification confirms that a provider is licensed and eligible to practice. It is not Zocdoc employing, recommending, or vouching for that provider, their views, or their conduct.