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.
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. Here are the important insights you can leverage regarding when patients are the most loyal.
Busy season
January is one of the busiest months for new patient bookings and it also sees the largest share of rebookings. Not only are new patients looking for providers to improve their health, but existing patients also want to return and focus on health in the new year. In particular, primary care providers, optometrists, ENTs, dentists, and cardiologists see especially higher rebooking volume in January.
There is of course some variation depending on specialty. For instance, dermatologists see peak rebooking season from February through June. Similarly, allergists see a surge of returning patients in April and May, which is likely due to springtime allergy season. Pediatricians also see an increase in patients returning over the summer, which can likely be attributed to the rush before the school year.
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.
Download our white paper today for more advice on reaching and retaining loyal patients.