ZocDoc (www.zocdoc.com) is a Web site that allows patients to make doctors\' app

Question

ZocDoc (www.zocdoc.com) is a Web site that allows patients to make doctors' appointments, in much the same way that Open Table (www.opentable.com) allows customers to make dinner reservations. More specifically, ZocDoc enables patients to read verified reviews written by real patients, find doctors in their vicinity who accept their insurance, and instantly book appointments with local medical professionals online or via a free iPhone or Android app that patients can download.
ZocDoc is free for patients, but it charges doctors a $250 monthly fee to be included in their database. ZocDoc's software catalogs each physician's insurance plans and appointment calendars. It also sends checkup reminders to patients. On their 50th birthdays, ZocDoc members receive an e-mail that reads: “There was recently a 13% drop in new cases [of colon cancer] … because more people are getting colonoscopies.”
In addition to encouraging patients to visit the doctor more frequently, ZocDoc helps patients select the right doctor for them. After their visits, the software asks patients to rate their experience, and most do so via comments and one-to-five star ratings in three categories—overall recommendation, bedside manner, and wait time.
In the beginning, it was difficult to get ZocDoc off the ground. Days before debuting Zocdoc at a technology conference in San Francisco, the Web site's founder had gathered the names of only three doctors in his database. In desperation, he staked out the waiting room of a practice with five doctors.
The doctors finally agreed to join his list, giving him enough names to fill out a scroll-down menu. He also dug into his savings to hire salespeople to recruit doctors and computer programmers to write code to integrate ZocDoc software
Today, nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population uses ZocDoc each month. Further, the Web site now includes medical specialists located in 1,600 cities. In just one example, the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary estimates that the practice's 120 doctors who have signed up with ZocDoc have gained, among them, 9,000 new patients in just over 2 years.
In early 2013, ZocDoc released its first new product since it launched its Web site: ZocDoc CheckIn. This app lets patients fill out their medical paperwork online when they book an appointment. ZocDoc digitally transfers the information to doctors, so patients can get in and out more efficiently.

Read case study 7.2 in Chapter 7, “Finding a Doctor Right Now” (this can be found in the “Read, Study, Practice” section of Chapter 7 in WileyPLUS). After reading the case, use examples from the text and independent online research to answer the following question:

What are the benefits in this e-business model to patients and some disadvantages for both patients and doctors? (If you have any experience with this type of e-business, feel free to add your personal perspectives on interacting with doctors through e-business.)

Explanation / Answer

Benefits to patients are as follows:

1. The website provides online appointment booking.
2. Patients save their time as time slot is already allotted in the website.
3. Patients can select the best doctors on the basis of website reviews.
4. A rich database of doctors to choose. Thus, many options are available to patients.
5. It provides single interface, no need to visit multiple websites, as an appointment with different doctors can be booked from the same portal.

Finally, it gives the patient a hassle free, convenient and comfortable experience. It is one of the best parts of it.

Though, it gives few disadvantages to patients as well as doctors.

1. Needy patients who reach late to the web site cannot get early appointments as the time slots are already booked.
2. Booked appointments can be cancelled and it can cause a waste of time for the doctors.
3. Reviews may not be honest. It can carry subjectivity and prejudice against / for any particular doctor.
4. More renowned doctors will get more appointment. But, less known and new doctors may get lesser work.

5. Patients should be friendly with the internet to avail the benefits of the portal.

There is a similar portal in India and it is “http://www.practo.com “. It offers services including online appointment booking with doctors. Though, it is in the early stages of expansion, but, it is increasingly gaining popularity in urban areas. The expansion path of this portal shows resemblance with the given portal in the case.

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