Each month, millions of people visit Zocdoc.com or use our free mobile app to find quality healthcare providers. Every click tells us something new about patient preferences, highlighting that each search and booking reflects a unique need, priority, and desire.
As we track year-over-year trends in our second annual What Patients Want Report, it’s clear patient preferences are evolving. In 2024, patients showed that they are discerning when it comes to their care. They looked at an average of 26 provider options before booking. What characteristics mattered most? Read on for an overview of the year’s key trends and insights (and how they compared to 2023) and download the full report here.
Insurance matters
The majority of patients are looking for providers that take their insurance.
More than 4 in 5 bookings were made using commercial insurance.
Nearly 9 out of 10 patients book with in-network providers.
Staying in-network for mental health
Many people often think they have to go out-of-network and shell out big bucks to see mental health providers. However, Zocdoc makes it easy to find in-network providers. In fact, 89% of patients on Zocdoc booked mental health appointments with in-network insurance, while 6% were out-of-network and 5% were self-pay.
Overall wait times
Speed to care is one of the most important factors for patients when booking appointments with providers. When booking care in America, the average wait time to see a physician is 26 days. This is up from 24.1 days in 2017, and 20.9 days in 2004*. For certain specialties, the average wait time can be even longer.
On Zocdoc, nearly 1 in 3 appointments took place within 2 days of booking and half of all appointments took place within four days, showing a strong preference for near-term appointments. This was consistent with 2023.
*According to Merritt Hawkins’ 2022 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times
Preference for near-term bookings held true across all demographics. However:
Baby Boomers and older saw slightly less urgency for same-day visits relative to younger generations.
In 2023, men more strongly preferred near-term bookings, with 35% happening within 48 hours vs. 29% for women. This changed in 2024 to be more equal, with both a third of women and men booking appointments occurring within 48 hours.
Specialty-specific wait times
Patients want quick access to care, but many specialties have long wait times. For example, the average wait to see a dermatologist is over 30 days*.
Zocdoc helps millions of patients get timely care. 80% see urgent care providers within 24 hours and over 50% see orthopedic surgeons within 4 days.
% of appointments that occur within 8 days of booking, by specialty
*According to Merritt Hawkins’ 2022 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times
Preferences
Gender of provider
On Zocdoc’s marketplace, 64% of participating providers identify as female and 36% identify as male, closely mirroring Zocdoc’s patient demographics.
Overall, 59% of bookings were made with female providers and 41% of bookings were made with male providers.
67% of female patient bookings were with female providers, up slightly from last year (65%).
Notably, fewer male patients booked with male providers. In 2024, 56% of male patient bookings were with male providers vs. 59% in 2023.
Preferences shift as patients age.
Younger female patients overwhelmingly prefer female providers. 73% of bookings for Gen Z women were with female providers, which was similar to last year, while 53% of Gen Z men saw male providers, a small dip from last year.
However, as patients age, their preference for male providers increases.
Certain specialties received a disproportionate amount of bookings based on the gender of the provider.
Female ob-gyns, gastroenterologists, and cardiologists received more bookings on average than their male colleagues.
+60% Ob-gyns
+35% Gastroenterologists
+16% Cardiologists
Male ENTs, urologists, and orthopedic surgeons received more bookings on average than their female colleagues.
+60% Orthopedic surgeons
+50% Urologists
+23% ENTs
Similar to 2023, male mental health professionals received an average of 38% more bookings than female providers. This held true in 2024 even though there are roughly 4x the number of female mental health professionals on Zocdoc than male, and 2 in 3 mental health bookings are made for female patients.
+38% Mental health professionals
More photos, more bookings
Similar to 2023, providers with one to three office photos received on average 2.8x as many bookings vs. providers with no office photos.
However, we saw that in 2024, more photos translated to even more bookings. Providers with four or more office photos received 5.8x as many bookings (up from 4.8x last year).
Speak more languages, see more bookings
Providers who listed two languages on their profile got nearly 2x as many bookings, and providers who listed three or more languages got 3.5x as many bookings (up from 3x in 2023).
Above three languages*, for every additional language a provider listed, they received another 20% more bookings.
*Up to 6 languages
More stars, more success
Reviews are important for signaling trust and bookings increase exponentially for providers who have more reviews.
Providers with more than 50 reviews received 10x more bookings relative to providers with 1 – 9 reviews. Providers with 100+ reviews received 27x more bookings relative to providers with 1 – 9 reviews.
Get to know these patients firsthand by listing your practice on Zocdoc today. Consult with an enterprise sales representative to learn more about how Zocdoc can grow your business.