Each month, millions of patients visit Zocdoc to find and instantly book appointments with healthcare providers across every state. That means every day, with their clicks, patients are telling us what they want from their orthopedic providers. In order to meet growing orthopedic patient demand, solving for availability is key. Orthopedic patients want to be seen quickly, and listing all of your providers on Zocdoc, including advanced practice practitioners, can help you meet high-intent patients where they’re searching.
We analyzed the data from hundreds of thousands of bookings in 2023 to give you an inside look at the demographics, preferences, and reasons behind potential patients’ visits. Leveraging these insights can help you acquire more new patients.
What characteristics matter most when choosing an orthopedist?
Speed to care is a crucial factor when choosing an orthopedic provider. Roughly half of all bookings were made for appointments within 4 days; 20% of bookings were for appointments within 1 day.
Patients are looking for providers that offer tech-savvy booking options. On Zocdoc, 67% of orthopedic bookings were made via mobile, while 33% booked via desktop. Using a platform like Zocdoc that meets both preferences helps providers easily acquire and retain patients, driving the highest life-time value.
Patients also want to book when it’s most convenient for them, which is why unlocking access to 24/7 booking is so important. Nearly half of patients (48%) prefer to book orthopedic appointments from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. when the office is typically closed.
Who is looking for new orthopedists?
53% of orthopedic bookers were women; 47% were men.
Orthopedic patients look for providers who take their insurance. 3 out of 4 appointments were booked using a commercial insurance plan and 9 out of 10 appointments were in-network.
Orthopedic patients are happy to see advanced practice providers (APPs), too. It’s a win-win since patients can receive care faster and practices can fill availability and meet patient demand. In 2022, practices with APPs listed on Zocdoc had more than double the patient availability over 90 days, compared to practices without APPs. Furthermore, practices with APPs received 72% more bookings than their counterparts over 90 days.
When do they want to see the orthopedist?
Busiest booking day of 2023
Tuesday, January 3
Patients booked 40% more appointments on January 3 — the first non-holiday weekday of the New Year — than the average number of bookings made on Tuesdays in 2023.
Busiest booking months
May was the busiest month for bookings, followed by October.
Most popular appointment dates
October 2nd, November 27th and January 9th received 84%, 83% and 83% more bookings vs. the average day.
Most popular appointment weeks
Patients booked 12% and 10% more appointments scheduled for the weeks of November 27th and June 5th, respectively vs. the average week.
Most popular appointment time slots
Overall, 10 a.m. was the most popular time of day for an orthopedic appointment, followed closely by 2 p.m., 1 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Most popular appointment days
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays were most popular, followed by Thursdays. Appointments dropped off on Fridays and into the weekend.
Why do they want to see the orthopedist?
The top 10 visit reasons included:
- Orthopedic consultation
- Orthopedic consultation (leg & knee)
- Orthopedic consultation (hand & wrist)
- Orthopedic consultation (shoulder)
- Orthopedic consultation (spine & back)
- Knee pain
- Orthopedic consultation (foot & ankle)
- Knee problems
- Spine specialist consultations
- Sports injury
Where do they want to see the orthopedist?
Patients strongly prefer to see orthopedic providers close to home, with 4 out of 5 appointments booked within 20 miles of their location.
Patients searching on Zocdoc are looking for new orthopedic providers who can see them quickly, take their insurance, and offer a seamless mobile booking experience. Every person coming in for an initial orthopedic visit has the potential to become a loyal, long-term patient, driving the highest lifetime value.
Consult with an enterprise sales representative to learn more about how Zocdoc can grow your business.