Each month, millions of patients visit Zocdoc to find healthcare providers across every state and specialty and to instantly book an appointment online. That means every day, with their clicks, patients are telling us what they want from their providers — and who meets their standards.
Patient preferences tell us a lot about how best to support those patients. The more insight your practice gains on real patient behavior, the better you can position yourself in the marketplace.
We analyzed the data from hundreds of thousands of orthopedic bookings in 2023 to break down the 5 Ws (and one H) of a Zocdoc orthopedic patient. Here, 16 facts about potential orthopedic patients that you need to know.
Who is on Zocdoc?
Everybody, with a 25-plus skew
- 53% of orthopedic bookers are female; 47% are male.
- Nearly half (44%) are millennials.
- Gen Z makes up nearly a quarter (23%) of bookings.
What are they looking for?
A provider who takes their commercial insurance, offers online booking, and can see them ASAP
- 3 out of 4 orthopedic patients book with a commercial insurance plan.
- 9 out of 10 orthopedic patients book in-network appointments.
- 67% of orthopedic patients book via mobile, while 33% book via desktop.
- Roughly half of all bookings are for appointments within four days.
- 20% of bookings are for appointments within one day.
When do they want to meet?
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are great, but they’ll book anytime — day or night
- Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the most popular days for orthopedic appointments, followed by Thursdays. Popularity drops off on Fridays and into the weekend.
- May is the busiest month for bookings, followed by October.
- Nearly half of patients (48%) prefer to book orthopedic appointments from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. when the office is typically closed.
Where do they want to meet?
Fairly close by
- 4 out of 5 appointments are within 20 miles of the patient.
Why do they want to meet?
To keep their bodies moving well
- The top three visit reasons include general consultations, leg and knee consultations, and hand and wrist consultations.
How do they make decisions?
They trust reviews, spaces that stand out, and affiliations with larger hospitals
- Relative to orthopedic providers with 1 to 9 reviews, those with 10 to 29 reviews received 2.4x as many bookings.
- Compared to orthopedic providers with zero office photos, those with 4 or more office photos got 2.9x as many bookings
- Relative to orthopedic providers without hospital affiliation, those with an affiliation received 2.2x as many bookings.
Meet the patients
Zocdoc orthopedic patients tend to be young and commercially insured. They are looking for timely appointments (that can be booked online 24/7) with providers in their local area. Reading reviews and seeing hospital affiliations listed when applicable can help patients decide which provider best meets their needs.
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.