Some of the latest information about dental patient behavior and trends

More than 4 million patients use ZocDoc each month to find doctors and instantly book appointments online. The company has the country’s largest real-time database of patient behavior and trends. They analyzed data from 2013, and here are some key insights regarding dental offices. Where does your office fit in?

• Most appointments were booked online between 11:30 AM -12:00 PM – a time when the doctors’ office is typically getting ready to close for lunch.
• The most popular appointment times were weekdays at 10 am and 2pm, respectively. Specifically, men preferred Friday at 10 a.m., while women preferred Monday at 2 p.m.
• The most popular day to see a doctor was Tuesday and the least popular was Friday.
• Monday was also the day with the most same-day appointments booked, making it a great day for doctors to make last-minute appointments available.

Trends in appointments
• January was the most popular month to book an appointment.
• Seattle doctors offered patients the shortest in-office wait time, while Fort Myers had the longest.
• Men attended more night and weekend appointments.
• San Francisco and Miami were home to the most proactive men and women, respectively, based on most preventive appointments booked.

Markets with the most dental appointments booked:
1. San Francisco
2. Seattle
3. Philadelphia
4. San Diego
5. St. Louis
6. Boston
7. Northern New Jersey
8. Atlanta
9. Chicago
10. Detroit

Markets with the most preventive appointments booked:
1. Austin
2. Denver
3. Orlando
4. St. Louis
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Detroit
7. Tampa
8. Boston
9. Atlanta
10. Miami

Specialties with the most night and weekend appointments:

1. Emergency medicine physician
2. Pediatric dentist
3. Optometrist
4. Orthodontist
5. Acupuncturist
6. Dentist
7. Dietician
8. Travel medicine specialist
9. Psychiatrist
10. Pediatrician

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Trends in Online Reviews:
• Dentists ranked third for the most same-day appointments booked.
• Pediatric dentists ranked second for most night and weekend appointments booked.
• Orthodontists were fourth and dentists were sixth.
• Men rated doctors more often and were slightly more forgiving on wait time.
• Women rated doctors slightly higher than men and left more comments.
• Northern New Jersey was most pleased with their doctors, giving them the highest ratings in the country.
• Portland residents left the most reviews, while San Antonio residents were extra vocal, having left the most comments with their reviews.

*All rankings based on % of total appointments booked in each market.