Zocdoc

This is an excellent idea. It offers busy patients the opportunity to schedule a doctor visit when the doctors' office is closed. It allows patients to see the doctor, office, and read reviews. The doctor gets patients.
The site works by doctors paying a monthly fee in order to be listed.
As a provider I have received many appointments and can say ZocDoc gave me a marketing advantage that I would not have been able to get on my own. But there are many issues that have hurt my office.
1-When a patient signs up they don't always provide insurance information. When they show up you find out you can't see them. The patients become upset because no visit and the doctor loses an appointment slot. I made ZocDoc aware, they said patients are busy and don't always have their insurance on hand. I advised ZocDoc to make it required but they refused.
2. Difficulty reaching patients. Patient will provide what they want: email, cell, home phone, or nothing. It's not always easy to contact a patient and unfortunately this is a big problem. We all need to improve on this one.
3. Trophies. Trophies are awarded when the doctor performs according to ZocDoc standards. I found out today that I lost some of my trophies, because I canceled too many appointments. (Well that's because of #1 and #2) So now that I have lost these trophies my clinic schedule will not appear as available - now I'm being penalized. I asked ZocDoc since when is this the practice and they told me it's something new - change made 2 months ago- I was never informed.
4. I am a 5 star provider on ZocDoc: Feels good but ZocDoc didn't make me a 5 star it's how we do business and care for our patients.
5. There are some many other issues but bottom line ZocDoc should improve their product, listen to doctor and patient feedback.
ZocDoc you are not 5 stars... By the way- I feel so strongly about ZocDoc that it made me search internet for reviews. This is my first online review ever.

I found a doc thru zocdoc for the first time. Reviews were great for this doc. Office staff was less than professional, messed up my appointment time and when I arrived they said someone cancelled the appt. And they did not show I should be there when I arrived but they called me 15 min. Before my appt. To see if I was on my way. I told them I was there and they continued to say I don't have an appt. But I told them I was there. Then when I arrive and was not satisfised due to the mis-communication in their staff I asked for the signed form I gave them for transfer of medical records. The lady told me they will just put it in my file and they will not submit it unless I ask them to do so later. They submitted it shortly after I left the office and I received a bill from a company that transferred my records from my other doctors office. When I called them to ask about it they acted like they did not know what I was talking about. Jennifer said she did not show they requested it and continued to act as if I was confused, even when I explained Kim from that office submitted the form. I had to call for the next two weeks to ask about if the records showed up there. Each time I called they acted as is I were confused or stupid. I finally called one day and reached Kim and asked if they received my records. She said yes and I could come pick them up anytime but they could not mail them to me. So I drove an hour to pick up the records that they said they would not request transfer of. Geeeesh. I am glad to be done with them!

ZocDoc was originally a wonderful company. I was, in fact, the first dermatologist in New Jersey to be on their site. Now they have declined into a faceless big business where employees will not even identify themselves by their full name on the phone when asked. I am terminating my account with ZocDoc over their completely inane review policy. I have more than 250 reviews on ZocDoc and a 4.8 rating, achieved over several years. The most recent review, however, is 1 star and reads "His bald head makes him look goofy, but what makes it worse is that he is more concern on how much money he can make..." That is the complete review.

A supervisor named Sam P. (who refuses to give her full name) insists that this is a legitimate review that reflects the patient's experience. I consider that idiotic. Either Sam P. Is herself incompetent, or she is simply enforcing an idiotic company policy where insulting a doctor's personal appearance is considered a reasonable review. Sam P. Went on to claim that a theoretical review that stated "the blackness of the doctor's skin made him look goofy" would also not be removed but would be considered by the "team".
When I told her that I wanted to cancel my account, she would not give out the full name of my account manager, insisted that I could not speak to someone, that calling back was futile, and that the account manager would call me back within 24 hours, and only then could I cancel my account. Needless to say I instructed American Express to discontinue all repeat billing from ZocDoc. It is very sad that what was once an innovative and seemingly great company has become another faceless internet bureaucracy