20 June 2021

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Zocdoc report points to a trend in in-person appointments

Katherine E. Pfaff

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Healthcare marketplace company, Zocdoc, shared data from its analysis of appointment trends in the US during the pandemic to now. After a significant increase in virtual appointments, the reports point to a return to normal, with in-person appointments taking the largest share of healthcare. Shifts to virtual care varied by specialty, with primary care doctors seeing only 58% of appointments for in-person in May 2020, compared to 87% in May 2021. Dentist appointments actually saw significantly less of shift: 96% of appointments made on Zocdoc in May 2020 were in-person compared to 99% in May 2021.

An interesting thing to note was that even when virtual appointments were made, 70% of patients who made bookings with Zocdoc chose a provider close to home. The decision suggests that the patient intended to make an in-person appointment with that provider once the pandemic concluded. 

The report, “A Year in Hybrid Care,” examined data from May 2020 to May 2021 on how patients made appointments during the year, including a never-before-seen surge in virtual healthcare early in the pandemic. In May 2020, 33% of appointments made via Zocdoc were for telehealth services. As of one year later, in May 2021, the use of telehealth was down to 14%

Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zocdoc-announces-a-year-in-hybrid-care-unveiling-appointment-booking-trends-that-point-to-a-return-to-in-person-care-301308869.html