Zocdoc

ACA patients can use ZocDoc service to book dental appointments online

Jan. 14, 2014
ZocDoc now supports more than 300 ACA health insurance plans on its platform, helping improve access to care for patients entering the system

NEW YORK – ZocDoc recently announced that newly insured patients can now use its free online service to instantly book doctor and dentist appointments covered under more than 300 health insurance plans offered on the state marketplaces.

Additionally, more than two-thirds of ZocDoc physicians accept at least one of these insurance plans. With a mission of improving patients’ access to care, ZocDoc added these plans to its online booking platform to help patients who purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) find and secure the care they expect.

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Nearly five million patients each month use ZocDoc.com or the free ZocDoc app to find in-network doctors, read verified reviews, and book appointments online. Not only does ZocDoc’s free service make the appointment booking process much easier, it also makes it much faster. While the average national wait time to see a doctor is nearly three weeks, the majority of ZocDoc appointments take place within 24 to 72 hours. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, there will be a shortage of 125,000 primary care doctors in the United States by 2025. Further compounding this shortage, the ACA will add millions of patients but no new doctors to the health care system, potentially creating an even bigger barrier to patient access. A technology solution such as ZocDoc not only makes the marketplace for health care more efficient by optimizing doctors’and dentist's schedules, but it also improves patients’ experiences by seamlessly facilitating access to their doctors and dentists. “Patients often delay or avoid securing care because the process can be such a pain, but ZocDoc removes all of the friction from making an appointment,” said ZocDoc founder and CEO Cyrus Massoumi. “In adding these health insurance plans to our platform, ZocDoc is in a position to support new ACA patients as their plans go live and they begin to seek medical care.” The breadth of care available via ZocDoc has grown since the company’s inception in 2007. Today, patients can use ZocDoc to quickly secure appointments with their dentists, as well as with their primary care doctors and specialists. Additionally, patients have booked more than 1,000 different types of procedures on ZocDoc to date. ZocDoc is available in nearly 2,000 cities and towns, and the service covers 40% of the U.S. population.