ZocDoc Enters Employer Health and Wellness Benefits Vertical With the Introduction of ZocDoc for Business

NEW YORK, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ZocDoc, a service that helps patients find in-network doctors and instantly book appointments online, today introduced ZocDoc for Business: a new premium service for employers that improves their employees' healthcare experience. The introduction of ZocDoc for Business marks ZocDoc's entry into the $600 billion employer health and wellness benefits vertical. This launch also further bolsters ZocDoc's platform and expands the company's revenue channels, which include small and mid-sized physician practices, large hospitals and health systems, and now, employers.

"For years, employers have been asking us for a premium offering, and we're pleased to deliver this customized service to them," said ZocDoc founder and CEO Cyrus Massoumi. "The introduction of ZocDoc for Business highlights our growth as an evolving platform, and we'll continue to roll out innovative products and features to new audiences."

A Harvard study found that for every $1 spent on wellness programs, medical costs fall by about $3.27 and absentee day costs fall by about $2.73. However, in order for businesses to see an ROI on these programs, employees have to take advantage of them. This new service from ZocDoc delivers industry-leading employee engagement levels, helping employers combat a number of challenges when it comes to managing their workforce's health, including:

• Increasing Workforce Productivity: ZocDoc for Business helps boost employees' productivity by ensuring they can quickly schedule and access care, even outside of business hours. Forty percent of employees' appointments are booked after-hours, and 35 percent of employees' appointments occur after-hours and on weekends.
• Engaging Employees: This service delivers industry-leading employee engagement levels, as high as 60 percent with early adopters, which have sustained over time. According to a 2013 Aon Hewitt survey, improving employee engagement in health and productivity programs was a top priority for 76 percent of employers.
• Encouraging Preventive Care: Employees receive tailored Wellness Reminders based on their gender, age, and medical history, helping them proactively manage their health. This is the only wellness reminders program that facilitates immediate action and allows employers to directly measure its success.
• Lowering Healthcare Costs: Ninety-nine percent of employees' appointments booked through ZocDoc for Business are with in-network healthcare providers. Nearly one in five appointments booked are for non-urgent alternatives to ER procedures and cost 80 percent less than if treated in an ER.

ZocDoc for Business was developed for employers who place a high value on their employees' ability to effortlessly access premium healthcare. The national average wait time to see a doctor is 18.5 days, but the typical ZocDoc for Business appointment takes place in under 24 hours. Distinguished New York-based businesses including Foursquare, Gilt, IAC, Jefferies LLC, KIPP NYC, NASDAQ OMX, and Quirky have already signed on as clients.

"ZocDoc for Business is a great wellness benefit that has helped us reduce teacher absenteeism, with 30 percent of our doctors' appointments occurring after-hours on evenings and weekends," said Nakia James-Jenkins, Director of Human Resources at KIPP NYC, a region of the national network of public charter schools. "Our teachers and staff are able to seamlessly manage their healthcare needs using this comprehensive service, which keeps our teachers in the classroom."

"ZocDoc for Business delivers the quickest and easiest way to access quality healthcare providers, and our employees love it," said Joey Levin, CEO of IAC Search & Applications. "In our digital world, this service ensures that our employees can effortlessly engage with healthcare the same way they do everything else – from booking a flight or hotel, to making a restaurant reservation."

With ZocDoc for Business, employees receive a premium ZocDoc account with a more robust version of its core online service. Enhanced features include a comprehensive US doctor directory with an accuracy unsurpassed by any other physician database, premium access to weekend and evening appointment times, and a simple appointment-scheduling feature for wellness events such as in-office flu shots, biometric screenings, yoga, nutrition counseling, and more. ZocDoc for Business also provides real-time insight into employee engagement with all of these offerings.

For more information about ZocDoc for Business, please visit zocdoc.com/business or email [email protected].

About ZocDoc
More than five million patients use ZocDoc each month to find a nearby doctor or dentist, read verified reviews and health content, and instantly book appointments online. By revealing the 'hidden supply' of appointments, ZocDoc helps patients receive faster access to care and optimizes doctors' schedules. With ZocDoc Check-In, patients can fill out their paperwork online prior to their appointment, and physicians receive more complete and accurate patient information. ZocDoc is currently available across 2,000 cities and towns, and covers 40 percent of the US population. This service is free for patients via ZocDoc.com or the free ZocDoc app for iPhone and Android.

Media contact:
Jessica Aptman
855-962-3621

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SOURCE ZocDoc