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 mental health bookings in 2023 to break down the 5 Ws (and one H) of a Zocdoc mental health patient. Here, 19 facts about potential mental health patients that you need to know.
Who is on Zocdoc?
Everybody, with a female, 25-plus skew
1. 66% of mental health bookers are female; 34% are male.
2. Just over half (51%) are millennials (ages 25-39).
3. Nearly a third (31%) are young adults (ages 18-29).
What are they looking for?
A provider who takes their commercial insurance, offers online booking, and can see them ASAP
4. 4 out of 5 mental health patients book with a commercial insurance plan.
5. 9 out of 10 mental health patients book in-network appointments.
6. 66% of mental health patients book via mobile, while 34% book via desktop.
7. Nearly half of all appointments took place within 4 days from when the booking was made.
When do they want to meet?
Monday and Tuesdays afternoons are great, but they’ll book anytime — day or night
8. Mondays and Tuesdays are the most popular days for mental health appointments, followed by Wednesdays and Thursdays. Popularity drops off on Fridays and into the weekend.
9. The top two appointment times are 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
10. January is the busiest month for bookings, followed by March and May.
11. Roughly half of patients prefer to book mental health appointments from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. when the office is typically closed.
Where do they want to meet?
Ideally virtually, but in-person is great, too
12. Nearly 9 out of 10 patients book virtual visits.
13. Relative to providers offering virtual-only care, mental health providers with in-person visits see 80% more bookings on average.
14. For in-person visits, 7 out of 10 appointments are within 20 miles.
15. For virtual visits, nearly half are within 20 miles.
Why do they want to meet?
To improve their mindset
16. The top three visit reasons include psychiatry consultations, anxiety, and attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
17. When patients book without insurance or out-of-network, the top three visit reasons are all for psychiatry services including adolescent psychiatry, psychiatry follow-ups, and medication reviews.
How do they make decisions?
They trust positive reviews and warm spaces
18. Relative to mental health providers with 1-9 reviews, those with 10-29 reviews saw 3.8x as many bookings and providers with 30-49 reviews saw 6.6x as many bookings on average.
19. Relative to mental health providers with zero office photos, those with 1-3 office photos got 3.5x as many bookings.
Meet the patients
Zocdoc mental health patients tend to be young and commercially insured. They are looking for timely, virtual appointments (that can be booked online 24/7) with providers in their local area. While finding a doctor who takes their insurance is important, they’re also willing to self-pay for psychiatry services.
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.