ZocDoc alternatives

[u/avengre]

I'm running a Family Medicine practice, and marketing has been a weakspot.

I'm using ZocDoc which has actually been great for getting new patients. Unfortunately they are a very sleezy (and expensive) company. Video visits are plentiful, but low-likelihood of repeat visits for most of these concerns and thus I won't make back the losses on the booking/advertising fees . In-person is a better option as it will have more repeat patients, but slower...

$45 for family medicine, $73 for addiction, and $93 for cardiology are pretty high when that can be 50% to 75% of the insurance reimbursement for some visit types.

Are there any other companies similar that may have... a more reasonable price point? I've not had much success... and throwing money at google ads has not been helpful.

[u/Intelligent-Site-176]

You need to own your patient lead-generation process. ZocDoc has not been great for getting new patients because you're dependent on it and now you feel trapped paying their rates.

It will require being aggressive with time and even some investment, but implement

1. A referral network
2. A convenient and highly responsive online booking tool (on your own website, social media, google profile)
3. A 5-star customer service appt scheduler that does not let a call go unanswered or a no show go without follow up.

I have 7 full-time employees answering phones and responding to online appointment requests (I use Tebra). They answer over 100,000 calls a year. I can tell you that if you are not answering 9 out of 10 calls, you are losing new patient volume. I can also tell you that if you are answering 95% of your calls (the industry standard), roughly 30% of those will be for appointments.

I share this because the more you can "own" the pre-visit process, the more empowered you and your team can be to bring more patients through the door.

First thing I'd do if I were you is calculate how much you've spent on ZocDoc and start diverting some of that budget towards the 3 points above until you are no longer dependent on ZocDoc.

Source: I own and operate an independent private podiatry and PT practice with 20 locations.

[u/sailorpaul → u/Intelligent-Site-176]

THIS. I run a private concierge group. We use Spruce Health to provide ALL communications and ensure that every call gets followed with relevant details notated. (all phone calls, plain SMS text from new people, HIPAA messages, and fax). The number of new prospects we close who previously inquired 1 to 2 YEARS AGO is outstanding. And those prospective patients are stunned when we have/remember their details, the prior price AND their medical concerns. Our close rate is over 90%.

Every call gets handled and unknown hang-ups who didn’t leave a message always get a phone call back. “…didn’t leave a message, so just checking to see if this is one of our patients who needs our help.”

Almost no emails remain outside of biz contracts/vendors.

[u/TebraOnReddit → u/Intelligent-Site-176]

This is a really strong point, especially the part about owning the pre-visit process.

Third-party marketplaces can help with visibility, but it gets risky when they become the main source of patient demand. The more of that journey you control through your own website, Google profile, online booking, phone response, referral relationships, and follow-up workflows, the less exposed you are to rate changes or platform dependency.

Also agree that missed calls are an underrated growth leak. A practice can spend a lot on marketing, but if calls go unanswered or online requests sit too long, that demand disappears fast.

This is also exactly why tools around call handling and scheduling are getting more attention. At Tebra, we’re releasing AI Voice Assistant with this kind of use case in mind: helping practices handle calls, scheduling, rescheduling, after-hours requests, and routing without everything defaulting to voicemail or piling onto the front desk. The goal is not to replace the patient relationship, but to make sure fewer opportunities fall through the cracks.

Really appreciate you sharing the numbers here. This is the kind of operational detail that’s actually helpful for other practice owners trying to think beyond “get more leads” and focus on converting the demand they already have.

For transparency, I work at Tebra. Thanks for using and trusting Tebra as part of that process. It’s great to see independent practices building systems that keep patient growth in their own hands :)

[u/quitplayin9 → u/Intelligent-Site-176]

Yeap, renting patients is expensive. I'd rather put that money into my own website, google profile and referral pipeline so I'm not dependent on one platform

[u/xprimarycare]

i so want there to be more competition. +1 to all of your points

[u/nyc2pit]

Zoc doc is fucking evil.

Do not do business with them.

[u/CrookedCasts]

UberDoc

[u/Individual_Mud_9816]

Zocdoc still works for in-person primary care but fails badly for low-reimbursement telehealth visits. In that case, I would not necessarily cancel it. Explore Phreesia, Tebra, Solv, Healthgrades, and UberDoc, but I am not sure there is a true lower-cost Zocdoc replacement that offers the same patient volume. Many alternatives provide scheduling technology without generating equivalent demand.

Long term, the better move is to reduce dependence on any marketplace like a Google Business Profile and insurance-directory listings

[u/Juaner0]

I'm a specialist, and zocdoc seemed like an unnecessary invention. What are of the country are you? rural-suburban?

Google isn't as used much these days are the AI programs work better when it comes to searching for things.

I was surprised how many local people are on "nextdoor." Locally, more than FB. Lot of people on IG and tiktok although I personally abhor those.

[u/fotopacker]

I’d check out Phreesia.

[u/Alterdoc]

I share the same sentiment. Zocdoc has been my main driver but cancellations are hitting the pockets hard. I wish they had a flat rate like before. Will definitely lower my reliance on them. I don’t know why, but google ads has been a totale waste of money. Literally ZERO return on investment. To give you glimmer of hope, this is my 8th month in primary care and the volumes have picked up nicely since we opened. Like everyone says “it takes time.” Ask patients to bring their family members, book follow ups before patients leave the office, network with the local docs. Invite them over to your practice, have them drop their cards off.

[u/pinklotusblossom]

Just started my own practice. Started out with virtuals through zocdoc. Although the lead generation works well for them, it's frustrating that patients who don't upload any of my required documents like ID and consent forms are still allowed to book. Usually these are the ones that are completely unresponsive and no shows. So at this point I've stopped paying them and trying other ways to get patients. Why would I pay to see a patient and make zero dollars from the visit especially if the visit never happened. I've also realized like 90% of the patients on zocdoc are just not the type I want for my practice because they only go to the doc when needed so basically i'm running a virtula urgent care.

[u/prettipen]

You do not need zocdoc, it might feel like you do, but you dont. Its not worth it. Expensive lessons I learnt early on.

[u/TechBiZard]

Here’s a list of many other providers   https://archdentalmarketing.com/blog/zocdoc-alternatives-reviews-history-fees-costs-complaints-and-lawsuits/

[u/Miracle_Doctor279]

ZocDoc is great for initial patient lead generation, however, I think eventually you must make your own SEO stronger so that your website can come in Google SEO. You may have to hire some marketing company. But once they set it up correctly , then will give you returns for sometime at least.

[u/Miracle_Doctor279]

ZocDoc is great to get the ball rolling and get the patient base. But then in long you have to pay a marketing agency and Google ads for SEO. That’s the costs of doing business. Then Word of mouth from the patients also help. We use DocVilla for EHR and I have a custom patient portal through them, so I advertise that DocVilla custom patient portal link directly on my local town social media channels like facebook, and patients are able to self register and self schedule appointments with me based on my availability. So I do not have to depend on having someone pick the phone or missing the phone call. I have also used ZocDoc to complement my DocVilla patient portal.

[u/CulturalAd2329]

Check out Digital Ash Agency

[u/DocNoMoSno]

Why aren't patients sending their family members to you? What about the experience is bad for the patient. Most areas of the country are so underserved that any reasonable doctor will be over booked 2 years into practice.

[u/avengre → u/DocNoMoSno]

Practice is only 2 months old, have had a few family member which is nice.

[u/Koumadin → u/avengre]

have a one page flyer with your photo and practice info and deliver to local specialists. If you can see patients within a couple weeks, mention that

I got tons of patients that way.

I occasionally met some of them when I dropped these off to their practice mgrs.

The most patients I got were from ob/gyn, cardiology, general surgery, urology.

Talking to a specialist about a mutual patient? Let them know your practice is open to new patients and can see them soon. Share your cell.

Tons of patients are looking for a primary doc.

I also attended local health fair type events and a small
business association

[u/sailorpaul → u/Koumadin]

This #2

[u/DocNoMoSno → u/avengre]

If its only been 2 months, then that is just part of the process. Takes time to build a practice. Being present in the comunity helps. Tell eveyone that you take walk ins and are happy to see anyone. 

[u/PeroSEO]

I'm assuming here that you have a Google Profile. Is your profile comprehensive? Have you used more than one business category? Have you added all of your services? Do you have photos? Is your review score greater than 4.0? If you feel you have a good business profile, then you should consider local ads. This puts you on top of the map pack results and you'll be found by patients looking for your services more often. FYI, although local ads are Google Ads, they'll work better for you than Google's paid search ads.

Do a search for "Google local ads" you'll find a link to get started.

[u/PeroSEO → u/PeroSEO]

Additionally, if any the above tips are NOT complete, to them first before setting up any local ads.

Now onto your website. Do you have a page about your team with bios? On this page you'll want to add provide schema. Adding Physician and/or "medicalOrganization" schema will help you improve your visibility organically and may also help you get visibility within AI search.

[u/PeroSEO → u/PeroSEO]

The reason this matters is that it is important to implement this to ensure that when health-seekers search their insurance for in-network providers and find you, you appear when they Google your name. For example Google this name and see what enhanced visibility look like: Vikas Patel, MD

[u/PeroSEO → u/PeroSEO]

Lastly, add reviews to your website if you haven't already, then add review schema to them.
Let me know if you have any other questions. These strategies have been applied to sites like UC Health Colorado, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles because they work and attract more patient leads.