In an effort to increase patients”™ access to their primary-care doctors, Western Connecticut Medical Group, which is associated with Danbury and New Milford hospitals, recently began piloting an online appointment system operated by ZocDoc Inc.
The group, which has 10 primary care offices and was known as the Danbury Office of Physician Services before becoming affiliated with the Western Connecticut Health Network and its two hospitals, is far from alone.
To date, doctors practicing in nearly 50 Connecticut towns have started using ZocDoc. The service, founded in 2007, allows patients to locate doctors or dentists who accept their insurance, read reviews, check their availability and book appointments. The company”™s newest product, ZocDoc Check-In, enables English and Spanish-speaking patients to fill out any forms online prior to an appointment.
“Studies show that people who receive regular medical care are far less likely to be hospitalized than those without a primary care doctor,” Tom Linhares, executive director of Western Connecticut Medical Group, said in a statement. “Instant, online scheduling will make it easier for our patients to connect and see their doctors.”
Initially, ZocDoc was limited to New York City practices. Later, it spread to Washington, D.C., and today it partners with doctors in 1,800 cities and towns. The company has secured nearly $100 million in investments to date.
Founder and CEO Cyrus Massoumi said it took three days for the first patient to use ZocDoc to book an appointment.
“We”™ve come a long way since then,” Massoumi said in an email. ZocDoc has seen 200 percent overall appointment growth compared with a year ago, and 500 percent growth on appointments booked via its mobile application, he said.
Massoumi said ZocDoc will likely see even greater use as more elements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act take effect.
“The national wait time average to see a doctor is just over 20 days. With the ACA taking effect, 30 million new patients will enter the system with no new doctors, so these long wait times will grow even longer,” Massoumi said.
With ZocDoc, however, “the majority of patients see a doctor in 24 (to) 72 hours,” in part because the real-time nature of the service allows people to fill appointment slots that open up at the last minute due to cancellations.
Massoumi said practices and health systems of all sizes use ZocDoc. He said doctors can sign up for an annual contract with the service that comes to about $300 a month, and added that ZocDoc will work with practices to integrate the online scheduling system without disrupting any existing platforms or systems.
