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ZocDoc finds last minute doctors appointments online
on January 25, 2012 @ 1:31 pm (Updated: 5:39 am - 1/26/12 )When you need a doctor, a common problem is getting an appointment fast. If you can get a last minute tee-time online, why not a doctor appointment? That's the idea behind a new service in the Puget Sound area.
ZocDoc.com, which started in New York several years ago and recently launched in the Seattle area, claims there are 50,000 available doctor appointments in the next 60 days accessible through their online appointment system.
Many of the appointments available through ZocDoc.com are last-minute cancellations.
"To replicate that over the phone, you'd have to call hundreds of doctors to find the one that actually has the last minute no-show but the marketplace makes it possible to find these doctors with just a few clicks," said Oliver Kharraz, chief operating officer.
Patients like it because they can see a doctor fast.
"The average wait time in Seattle is a little bit over two weeks from the time you start calling around to when you actually see a doctor. At ZocDoc, we can typically get you in within 24 hours," said Kharraz.
Robert Wilson, a Tacoma family physician who signed up for the service, says patients can check him out.
"They sign up online, they can look at the office, the staff, look at my experience, get a sense of me, see if the insurance is compatible and if they do want to, then they can make an appointment online."
Wilson claims the online appointment service is helping him attract new patients since his regular patients are aging with his practice.
"So, a lot of them are on Medicare now, which is its own issue and this gives me a chance to access a younger population," said Wilson.
When asked why he didn't just set up his own online appointment system, Wilson replied:
"Are you kidding? I'm 63-years-old, there's no way I'm in the computer generation as much; I couldn't have pulled this off myself."
Amazon's Jeff Bezos is among the investors and ZocDoc.com is in about 14 cities, the Seattle area is the latest.
For now, you can make appointments with a few dozen family practice doctors, OBGYNs, and dermatologists from Everett to Tacoma and booking an appointment is free. The doctors pay a monthly fee for the service.
Tim Haeck is a news reporter with KIRO Radio. While Tim is one of our go-to, no-nonsense reporters, he also has a sensationally dry sense of humor and it will surprise some to learn he is a weekend warrior.
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