Every month, millions of people search for healthcare providers on Zocdoc. That means every day, with their clicks, patients are telling us what they want from their orthopedic providers. 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.
The most valuable patients are those who return again and again. 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 in the same specialty. Here’s what a loyal orthopedic patient looks like:
Which orthopedic patients are most loyal?
Over 80% of Zocdoc patients rebook with the same provider when rebooking in the same specialty.
Why are orthopedic patients loyal?
Orthopedic patients strongly prefer near-term appointments and are loyal to providers who can see them quickly. Roughly half of all bookings were made for appointments within 4 days; 20% of bookings were for appointments within 1 day.
Patients are also looking to return to providers that take their insurance. 3 out of 4 appointments were booked using a commercial insurance plan and 9 out of 10 appointments were in-network.
When are orthopedic patients loyal?
October is the busiest month for rebookings, with 12% more compared to the average month. It could be that after surgeries in the summer when folks can take more time off, more rebookings for follow-up appointments occur in the fall.
That said, there is a surge of new bookings in the first and fourth quarter of the year. Tuesday, January 3rd was the busiest booking day of 2023 and October was also the busiest month for new bookings. This is notable since new Zocdoc patients want to become loyal, returning patients.
What do orthopedic care patients want?
Patients want a tech-savvy booking experience and the flexibility to book appointments via mobile or desktop. 60% of orthopedic patients initially booked on mobile and rebooked via mobile.
Patients are discerning and every person coming in for an initial orthopedic visit has the potential to become a loyal, long-term patient. These patients are looking for providers who take their insurance, can see them quickly, and offer a user-friendly mobile booking experience. These patients return again and again, driving the highest lifetime value.
Consult with an enterprise sales representative to learn more about how Zocdoc can grow your business.