Each month, millions of people visit Zocdoc.com or use our free mobile app to search for quality healthcare providers. This means that every minute, patients are telling us with their clicks what they want when it comes to their care. While some might think of patients as a monolith, we know that each search and each booking represents a different need, a different priority, a different desire.
At Zocdoc, we have the privilege of receiving this feedback from patients each day. In 2023, patients showed that they are discerning when it comes to their care. They looked at an average of 26 provider options before booking. What characteristics mattered most? The following is a snapshot of the year’s key trends and insights highlighting what patients want.
Speed to care
Nearly 1 in 3 appointments took place within 48 hours of booking and nearly half of all appointments on Zocdoc took place within 4 days, showing a strong preference for near-term appointments.
Preference for near-term bookings held true across all demographics. However:
- Baby Boomers and older saw a little less urgency for same-day visits relative to younger generations.
- Men more strongly preferred near-term bookings, with 35% happening within 48 hours vs. 29% for women.
Patients in Houston, Dallas and New York were most likely to book appointments in the very near term.
- Dallas had a 25% higher share of within-a-day appointments than the average.
- Houston saw a 21% higher share, while New York saw 8% higher.
Patients in Boston, Tampa and Philadelphia tended to book further out.
- Boston patients booked 50% below the average share of appointments that happened within 24 hours.
- Boston’s share of bookings for 8 or more days out was 49% higher than the average. Tampa was 46% higher, while Philadelphia was 31% higher.
Virtual vs. in-person care offerings
Providers* who offered both virtual and in-person visits received 51% more bookings than those who offered in-person only and 217% more than virtual-only providers.
*Excluding mental health providers
Gender of provider
On Zocdoc’s marketplace, 66% of participating providers identify as female and 34% identify as male, closely mirroring Zocdoc’s patient user demographics.
Meanwhile, America’s general population of practicing physicians is nearly the inverse, where 38% are female and 62% male.
Patients preferred providers of their own sex.
Overall, 57% of bookings were made with female providers and 43% were made with male providers.
- Female providers received 65% of female patient bookings.
- Male providers took on 59% of male patient bookings.
- However, as patients aged, all tended to prefer male providers.
Certain specialists received more bookings on average if they were female than their male colleagues.
- Obstetrician-gynecologists: 40% more bookings
- Gastroenterologists: 30% more
- Cardiologists: 30% more
Other specialists saw more bookings on average if they were male versus their female colleagues.
- Orthopedic surgeons: 80% more bookings
- Urologists: 60% more
- Ear, nose and throat doctors: 60% more
Notably, male mental health professionals received an average of 35% more bookings than female providers. This held true even though there are roughly 4 times the number of female mental health professionals on Zocdoc than male, and 2 in 3 mental health bookings are made for female patients.
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.