{"id":18164,"date":"2024-04-04T15:01:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T20:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/\/"},"modified":"2024-05-29T12:16:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T17:16:11","slug":"the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/","title":{"rendered":"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every month, millions of people search for healthcare providers on Zocdoc. We make it easy for patients to <\/span>share their visit reasons<\/span><\/a> (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\u2019re searching (via mobile and desktop) and seamlessly receive insurance and relevant patient information before each visit.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

While January, March and May tend to be the <\/span>busiest times for new bookings<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s 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, <\/span>the most valuable patients are those who return again and again<\/span><\/a>. Understanding how likely patients are to rebook can help you better understand the long-term value, which can influence marketing spend and staffing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s availability.<\/span><\/p>\n

We analyzed Zocdoc\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Availability<\/h2>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mental health specialties (psychiatrists and psychologists) see 50+% higher rebooking rates with well above average availability vs. well below average availability, underscoring patients\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Download our white paper today<\/span><\/a> for more advice on reaching and retaining loyal patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

List your practice on Zocdoc today<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019re searching (via mobile and desktop) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":18165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[121],"class_list":["post-18164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-insights","tag-general-healthcare"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty - Practice Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hint: patients put a premium on speed to care.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty - Practice Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hint: patients put a premium on speed to care.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Practice Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-04T20:01:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-29T17:16:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1693\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jonathan Katz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jonathan Katz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/\",\"name\":\"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty - Practice Resources\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-04T20:01:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-29T17:16:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/88244c97809327c863deb2b09d7f88ee\"},\"description\":\"Hint: patients put a premium on speed to care.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png\",\"width\":1693,\"height\":920},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/\",\"name\":\"Practice Resources\",\"description\":\"Useful insights, advice and resources for running and growing your practice from Zocdoc.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/88244c97809327c863deb2b09d7f88ee\",\"name\":\"Jonathan Katz\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/author\/jonathan-katz\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty - Practice Resources","description":"Hint: patients put a premium on speed to care.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty - Practice Resources","og_description":"Hint: patients put a premium on speed to care.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/","og_site_name":"Practice Resources","article_published_time":"2024-04-04T20:01:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-29T17:16:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1693,"height":920,"url":"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Jonathan Katz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jonathan Katz","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/","name":"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty - Practice Resources","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png","datePublished":"2024-04-04T20:01:22+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-29T17:16:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/88244c97809327c863deb2b09d7f88ee"},"description":"Hint: patients put a premium on speed to care.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thescript.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/The-Script-hero_The-Number-One-Factor.png","width":1693,"height":920},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/the-number-one-factor-that-contributes-to-patient-loyalty\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Number One Factor That Contributes to Patient Loyalty"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/","name":"Practice Resources","description":"Useful insights, advice and resources for running and growing your practice from Zocdoc.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/88244c97809327c863deb2b09d7f88ee","name":"Jonathan Katz","url":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/author\/jonathan-katz\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}