Zocdoc partners with Healthgrades to help people make doctor appointments
Zocdoc, an online marketplace that helps patients find and make appointments with in-network providers, announced last week a partnership with Healthgrades, a healthcare ratings and patient review site.
Healthgrades helps people find the right doctors and hospitals based on experience, background checks, patient reviews, insurance and cultural competency. But patients previously couldn't check provider availability and make appointments through Healthgrades.
Now, in partnership with Zocdoc, patients will be able to find providers who accept their insurance, view real-time appointment availability and make appointments directly through the Healthgrades website.
Providers listed on both Healthgrades and Zocdoc will receive “additional coverage and patient accessibility,” according to the announcement. They only need to activate once and their information is automatically shared between the two sites.
“This partnership brings Zocdoc's real-time booking infrastructure directly into Healthgrades,” Zocdoc founder and CEO Oliver Kharraz, MD, said in an email. “…If a provider is active on both platforms, patients will see their real-time availability on Healthgrades and can book immediately – powered by Zocdoc.” “Management is nothing new for providers, just another way to reach prospective patients no matter where they seek care. At launch, we will have unlocked more than 16 million bookable appointment hours, with more to come.”
Courtney Jeffus, president of Healthgrades, said the partnership will greatly simplify the process of finding a doctor and making an appointment.
“Patients deserve a healthcare experience that is seamless, supportive and tailored to their specific needs,” Jeffers said in a statement. “Integrating Zocdoc's real-time scheduling into Healthgrades' physician finder platform is an important step toward realizing this vision. This partnership helps remove barriers for people seeking support and creates a more connected journey that empowers consumers to move from insight to action and supports providers in delivering timely, convenient care.”
Finding open appointments is often a significant challenge for patients due to outdated systems. A recent Zocdoc survey revealed that one in four Americans “hate” calling their doctor’s office. Additionally, more than half of patients who were unable to reach a doctor had to postpone treatment, while a third of patients abandoned their appointment entirely. Zocdoc hopes to improve these issues by partnering with Healthgrades.
“Our goal is to ensure that patients can schedule care no matter where they search—whether on ratings and review sites, Google Business profiles, health insurance directories, providers’ websites and phone lines, and more—while allowing providers to easily capture and convert that need,” Halazi said.
This follows Zocdoc's announcement in June of a similar partnership with Blue Shield of California, which will allow members to find provider availability in its network in real time and make appointments directly through the insurance company's website.
Photo credit: Sorbet, Getty Images
