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 primary care bookings in 2023 to break down the 5 Ws (and one H) of a Zocdoc primary care patient. Here, 18 facts about potential primary care patients that you need to know.
Who is on Zocdoc?
Everybody, with a female, 25-plus skew
- 3 out of 5 primary care bookers are female.
- More than half (54%) are millennials (ages 25-39).
- 24% are young adults ages 18-29.
What are they looking for?
A provider who takes their commercial insurance in-network, offers online booking, and can see them ASAP
- 3 out of 4 appointments are booked using a commercial insurance plan.
- 9 out of 10 appointments are in-network.
- Nearly 70% of primary care bookings are made via mobile, while 30% booked via desktop.
- A quarter of bookings are for appointments within one day and roughly half of all bookings are appointments within four days.
When do they want to meet?
Tuesdays are great, but they’ll book anytime — day or night
- Tuesdays, Mondays and Wednesdays are the most popular days for primary care appointments, followed by Thursdays. Popularity drops off on Fridays and into the weekend.
- Patients booked 54% more appointments on Tuesday, January 3 — the first non-holiday weekday of the New Year — than the average number of bookings made on Tuesdays in 2023.
- Nearly half of patients (48%) prefer to book primary care appointments from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. when the office is typically closed.
Where do they want to meet?
In-person and virtually –– but close by
- For in-person visits, 4 out of 5 appointments are booked within 20 miles of a patient’s location.
- For virtual appointments, nearly half of bookings are for providers within 20 miles.
Why do they want to meet?
To establish routine care
- The top three visit reasons include annual physicals, illness, and general consultations.
- When patients book without insurance, the top three visit reasons include pre-surgery check-ups/clearance, weight loss consultations, and medication management.
- Weight loss consultations, prescriptions/refills, and medication management are the top three most booked out-of-network visit reasons.
How do they make decisions?
They trust the wisdom of crowds and want to see providers’ spaces
- Relative to primary care providers with 1 to 9 reviews, those with 10 to 29 reviews got 2.7x as many bookings.
- Relative to primary care providers with zero office photos, those with 4 or more office photos got 2.4x as many bookings.
- Relative to primary care providers without hospital affiliation, providers that listed an affiliation received 1.6x as many bookings.
Meet the patients
Zocdoc primary care patients tend to be young and commercially insured. They are looking for immediate appointments (both in-person and virtual) with providers in their local area. They want to read reviews, see office photos, and be able to book 24/7 via mobile or desktop.
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.