Each month, millions of patients turn to Zocdoc to connect with new providers. Every search is an opportunity for you to be discovered by the right patient. That’s why we’re continually improving the tools that help you get more bookings from the patients you can treat. Our latest product updates to visit reason settings makes it easy to highlight all of the services you offer and set preferences (such as visit length) so you can show up in more relevant search results.
What to Know About Visit Reasons
On Zocdoc, patients search for a “visit reason” – the symptom, procedure or service that best describes why they need care. However, many patients need help putting this into medical terms. For instance, a patient may book a dermatology consultation without specifying they want a specialized botox treatment, while another patient with LASIK in mind may search for an “eye doctor” because they aren’t sure what type of specialist to see. We launched a guided search experience to help patients translate what they are looking for into specific visit reasons.
Key takeaway: Patients need guidance when searching for a doctor –– visit reasons help them specify the care they need.
Why Your Visit Reasons Matter
It’s important to opt into the visit reasons that reflect your full scope of practice, so you show up in relevant search results and highlight all the services you offer. Patients are increasingly searching on Zocdoc for specific visit reasons, which gives providers a better idea of what patients are coming in for ahead of the appointment.
Since the launch of guided search, we’ve seen more searches with visit reasons leading to:
- +100% increase in bookings for pregnancy care
- +113% increase in primary care bookings for an annual physical
- +190% increase in dermatologist bookings for cosmetic care
Key takeaway: Adding all the visit reasons you offer can increase your chances of being found in more of the right searches.
How to Select the Right Visit Reasons
Our improved visit reason settings makes it easy to manage your visit reasons to reach the right patients. Instead of scrolling through a long list of individual visit reasons, just select the categories of care you offer. You can also quickly apply preferences, such as appointment length and whether you want to see patients virtually, for a whole category of visit reasons at once.
For example, dermatologists who select the category “Common Skin Conditions” appear for all relevant visit reasons (e.g. acne, eczema, sunburn, etc.) with one click and can set one standard visit length.
There are some common categories that all providers within a specialty can treat (ex. annual exams, common problem visits) and others that vary by practice and provider (ex. prenatal care, periodontal services). To help you get started, we’ve opted you into the visit reasons that are commonly accepted by your speciality. Add missing categories to cover your full scope of practice and highlight your full range of services.
Key takeaway: It’s now easier to add visit reasons – simply select from a few categories you see patients for and be opted into all relevant visit reasons.
Who is this available to?
We’re committed to helping the right patients find the right providers, which is why we launched guided search and made improvements to visit reason selection. To start, updated visit reason settings will be available for Dentists, Dermatologists, OB-GYNs, Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, and Primary Care Doctors. Providers within these six specialties will see the updated settings in the account gradually over the coming weeks.
Check out our Help Center for a step-by-step guide on how you can manage your visit reason settings.