Every month, millions of people search for healthcare providers on Zocdoc. That means every day, with their clicks, patients are telling us what they want from their urgent care providers. The good news is that patients who are looking for new providers on Zocdoc want to find providers they can keep seeing in the long run. In fact, 80+% of Zocdoc patients rebook with the same provider when rebooking in the same specialty.
The most valuable patients are those who return again and again. We analyzed Zocdoc’s rebooking data from 2022 and 2023, with rebookings defined as initial new patient visits who later booked again with the same provider in the same specialty. Here’s what a loyal urgent care patient looks like:
Which urgent care patients are most loyal?
63% of urgent patients who rebook with the same provider are female; 37% are male.
Younger urgent patients are the most loyal rebookers. Half are millennials (ages 27-42) and a little over a quarter (27%) are Gen Z (ages 18-27).
Why are urgent care patients loyal?
Prioritizing the patient experience from the first visit is key to unlocking loyalty. Over 60% of patients who initially booked for an urgent care consultation rebooked for the same visit reason; 8% rebooked for illness, 4% rebooked for an annual physical, and 3% rebooked for prescription/refills. This shows that patients are turning to urgent care for more health maintenance and routine care and will rebook with providers they like.
When are urgent care patients loyal?
Being able to book appointments 24/7 is important for urgent care, especially when same- and next-day appointments are often needed. While loyal patients rebooked around the clock, rebooking rates were 2% higher than average between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. when most offices are typically closed.
What do loyal urgent care patients want?
Loyal patients prefer to see urgent care providers in-person. Providers that offer in-person visits see rebooking rates 13% higher than virtual-only urgent care practices. Given the nature of urgent care, patients often need to be seen on an immediate, walk-in basis.
A seamless mobile booking experience is an important factor for urgent care patients. In fact, 4 out of 5 patients who initially booked via mobile device rebook via mobile.
Patients are discerning and every person coming in for an initial urgent care visit has the potential to become a loyal, long-term patient. In-person visits and a user-friendly mobile booking experience are just a few of the factors that matter most to urgent care patients. For more insights, download our whitepaper on how to turn new patients into loyal patients.