Every month, millions of people search for healthcare providers on Zocdoc. We make it easy for patients to share their visit reasons (why they need care), sort by availability and location, read reviews and book appointments 24/7. Providers are able to connect with the right patients where and how they’re searching (via mobile and desktop) and seamlessly receive insurance and relevant patient information before each visit.
The good news is that patients who are looking for new providers on Zocdoc want to find providers they can keep seeing in the long run. In fact, 80+% of Zocdoc patients rebook with the same provider when rebooking in the same specialty.
While January, March and May tend to be the busiest times for new bookings, it’s a great reminder to take steps to ensure new patients become long-term, loyal patients. Looking at the average patient value of the course of a year, the most valuable patients are those who return again and again. Understanding how likely patients are to rebook can help you better understand the long-term value, which can influence marketing spend and staffing.
For example, knowing that a typical patient rebooks several times a year or is more likely to do so in January may impact when you spend more aggressively on marketing or how you choose to scale up your practice’s availability.
We analyzed Zocdoc’s rebooking data from 2022 and 2023, with rebookings defined as initial new patient visits who later booked again with the same provider. When it comes to the factors that contribute to patient loyalty, one stood out.
Availability
Speed to care is one of the most important factors for patients when booking appointments with providers. Having greater availability and more near-term appointments can positively influence patient loyalty. When looking at 14-day availability, we divided the data into five categories based on appointment volume: well below average, slightly below average, average availability, slightly above average, and well above average. Overall, providers who had well above average availability see 5% higher rebooking rates than those with well below average availability, though there is variance between specialties.
Mental health specialties (psychiatrists and psychologists) see 50+% higher rebooking rates with well above average availability vs. well below average availability, underscoring patients’ urgency when it comes to mental health care. Primary care providers with well below average availability saw 11% lower rebooking rates than providers with average availability.
This shows that while beating the average helps with rebooking, falling below the average is a major hurdle for retaining patients. Finding ways to increase your availability, such as listing all of the doctors in your practice or leveraging availability from advanced practice providers (APPs), is essential for capturing new patients and ensuring they can easily rebook. Having a platform like Zocdoc that lists up-to-date availability and offers 24/7 booking access makes booking subsequent appointments seamless, increasing the likelihood that patients remain loyal.
Download our white paper today for more advice on reaching and retaining loyal patients.