Zocdoc Launches Urgent Care on its Marketplace, Accelerating Patients' Access to Care for Acute Issues

As one of the fastest-growing care categories on Zocdoc, patients can now instantly book appointments online with Urgent Care facilities across 22 states and more than 200 locations

NEW YORK, May 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zocdoc, the leading healthcare marketplace that makes it easy for people to find and book in-person or virtual care across +200 specialties and +12k insurance plans, today announced that it is adding Urgent Care to its marketplace. Today, patients can find and book appointments with urgent care facilities across 22 states and more than 200 locations, with more joining Zocdoc each month. In fact, Urgent Care is one of the fastest-growing care categories on Zocdoc among patients and providers alike; in 2023, the volume of new urgent care facilities on Zocdoc has grown by an average of nearly 40% month over month and urgent care bookings has grown by an average of 80% month over month.

"Our aim at Zocdoc is to help every patient find and book every type of care, and this launch reflects the fact that Urgent Care has become an important part of both a patient's medical team and the healthcare ecosystem on the whole," said Oliver Kharraz, M.D., Zocdoc founder and CEO. "Urgent Care is in high consumer demand, and we are proud to facilitate fast access to care for patients' acute and urgent needs by adding this new care category to Zocdoc's marketplace."

The urgent care segment has grown dramatically over the past decade, with no signs of deceleration. From 2013 to 2019, there was a nearly 60% increase in the number of urgent care facilities across the U.S. Alongside the growth in supply has been a rapid growth in utilization among patients. One study by the Urgent Care Association shows that urgent care facilities handle nearly 90 million visits each year, which "includes more than 29% of all primary care visits in the US and nearly 15% of all outpatient physician visits."

Patients can find and instantly book an urgent care appointment through Zocdoc, preventing unknown, long waits upon their arrival. At a time when patients are sick or in pain, knowing they can register ahead of time, show up for a confirmed visit at a set time, and quickly be seen provides tremendous peace of mind.

In looking at Zocdoc user booking trends across the urgent care category, one in four appointments take place after hours (6 pm to 11 pm), when the doctors office is typically closed. Additionally, 51% of urgent care appointments take place within 5 hours of booking, as compared to 7% for non-urgent care appointments booked on Zocdoc. In looking at the demographic trends of urgent care utilizations, younger patients book at a higher rate; 40% of urgent care bookers were in their 20s, 33% in their 30s, and 26% were over 40 years old.

When it comes to the types of care Zocdoc users are seeking at urgent care facilities, the top ten visit reasons booked to date are: Illness, Urgent Care Consultation, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Testing, Sore Throat, Vaginal Discharge / Infection, Prescription / Refill, Annual Physical. Sinus Problems / Sinusitis, and Ear Infection.

For urgent care facilities, Zocdoc helps them reach new patients and more effectively manage their patient flow by giving them greater visibility into when patients will be coming in so they can staff accordingly. Leading care organizations have already signed up to list their urgent care facilities and real-time appointment availability on Zocdoc.

"Zocdoc provides a convenient way to find and book care, empowering us in our mission to make great healthcare accessible to all," said Kerem Ozkay, Chief Operating Officer, Carbon Health. "With Zocdoc, we're able to reach new patients and maximize provider time so clinicians can focus on what they do best. As we expand across virtual services and 120+ clinics for in-person visits, we value Zocdoc for helping us better connect our patient community to the care they need, when they need it."

"We've found that there is no more efficient new patient acquisition channel than Zocdoc," said Elizabeth Stefanishina, Director of Administration for Rockwell Health Center. "We joined Zocdoc to increase our visibility and awareness and to drive new patient volume for our new urgent care locations in Astoria, Queens and Red Hook, Brooklyn. In the brief time that we've been listed on Zocdoc's marketplace, it has already delivered on all of this."

As always, Zocdoc is completely free for patients to use and there is no upfront cost for healthcare providers to join Zocdoc. They simply pay a one-time fee when a new patient books with them through Zocdoc's marketplace; all future bookings made by that patient for that provider are facilitated at no additional charge.

If you are an orthopedic, pediatric, or general urgent care organization, or a primary care group offering walk-in appointments and are interested in joining Zocdoc's marketplace to reach new patients who are seeking care, visit zocdoc.com/join.

About Zocdoc
Zocdoc is the leading healthcare marketplace that helps every patient find and book every type of care. Each month, millions of patients search Zocdoc's marketplace, via Zocdoc.com or the free Zocdoc app, to find in-network doctors, see their real-time availability, and instantly book in-person or virtual appointments, and more. With a mission to give power to the patient, Zocdoc delivers the seamless healthcare experience patients expect and deserve.

Zocdoc contact:
Jessica Aptman
[email protected]

SOURCE Zocdoc