After relocating to Washington, Clint Morrison needed a doctor to follow up a tonsillectomy he had a few weeks earlier in California. When he started calling specialists in his health plan’s directory, he struck out: They either weren’t taking new patients or had no openings for several weeks.
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So in September, Morrison went to www/zocdoc.com. He could see doctors’ appointment calendars and identify those that took his insurance and were located near his office. With a couple of clicks, Morrison, 24, scheduled an appointment for the next day with Mark Dettelbach, an ear, nose and throat doctor. It was painless, Morrison says of the experience.
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Dettelbach’s group practice is one of a growing number that allow patients to schedule appointments online — eliminating multiple calls and waiting on hold and increasing the likelihood of finding someone with an opening.
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About 16 percent of family doctors used online scheduling in 2009, up from 6 percent in 2005, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Most do it on their own or through health systems in which they work.
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Several factors are driving the trend. On the doctors’ side, it’s mostly the need to add patients and reduce overhead costs. They’re also growing more comfortable with computers. About half of family doctors use electronic health records, and 44% prescribe electronically, according to the academy.
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Patients report increasing difficulty getting a doctor’s appointment. In 2007, about 35% of patients said they could not get an appointment soon enough — up from 23% in 1997, according to the non-profit Center for Studying Health System Change. That problem could worsen as an additional 32 million Americans begin to gain health coverage in 2014 under the health law President Obama signed last year.
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ZocDoc, which started in New York City in 2007 and entered the Washington market last year, also offers…