Keeping patients and providers safe and supported through COVID-19

Originally published March 9, 2020

Zocdoc was founded with a mission to give power to the patient. Since 2007, we have been focused on building the underlying infrastructure to improve access to healthcare in America, and our platform has become a trusted resource for millions of patients across the country.

In light of the recent spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we view it as our responsibility to respond to the emerging needs of patients, providers, and the healthcare system at large. Our teams are focused on preserving access to care while keeping both patients and providers safe and supported. We have already introduced the following resources and safeguards:

For patients:

• Helping Patients Navigate Coronavirus (COVID-19). This dedicated resource hub is featured prominently on Zocdoc.com and in the Zocdoc app. It aggregates and simplifies up-to-date guidance and information from leading experts. It also allows you to check if video visits via Zocdoc are available in your area.
• Nationwide video visits. All 50 states, patients can digitally receive medical advice, second opinions, prescriptions and referrals without leaving home. Most video visits cost $20 or less with insurance and $49 — $99 otherwise; all out of pocket costs will be paid directly to the healthcare provider. Video visits are also available through Zocdoc’s resource center: Helping Patients Navigate Coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Mitigating community spread at healthcare facilities. To help keep other patients and healthcare workers healthy, providers can choose to require you to complete a few questions to assess your risk factors for COVID-19 before you’re able to book an appointment. If you are unable to book, we will provide you with the provider’s phone number and prompt you to call them for further tailored guidance.

For providers:

• Appropriately directing “Coronavirus” and “COVID-19” searches. In an effort to keep healthcare workers safe and keep patients informed, we are not facilitating bookings for these terms at this time. Instead, we are redirecting these searches to our patient resource hub: Helping Patients Navigate Coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Mitigating community spread via a pre-booking screening questionnaire. Practices can opt-in to a new feature that requires all Zocdoc users to answer a pre-booking questionnaire assessing their risk factors for COVID-19. We’ve derived these questions from the CDC’s guidance and will update them as the guidance for healthcare personnel evolves. If the user does not complete or does not pass the screening, they will be unable to complete their booking via Zocdoc. Instead, we will advise them to call your practice directly for further guidance.
• Prompting patients to call the practice before their visit. To make it easier for practices to connect with certain patients prior to their visit, providers can now trigger an email or text to a patient who has scheduled an upcoming appointment. They will be prompted to please call the practice prior to their visit.
• Preparing patients who book for certain reasons including, fever, illness, cough, flu, shortness of breath, and respiratory distress. We are notifying these patients that their provider may reach out for more information prior to their visit and ask them to please respond promptly.

Zocdoc is actively monitoring the evolving public health situation and will respond to meet the needs of patients and the system at large. We know there is more we can and will do to help; we remain committed to preserving patients’ access to care at a time when they may need it the most, while safeguarding the health of patients and healthcare workers.

We will continue to post updates on our efforts here, and you can also visit Helping Patients Navigate Coronavirus (COVID-19) for general guidance and up-to-date information. For media inquiries, email press@zocdoc.com.

Last updated: March 16, 2020