DENVER, June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The majority of Denver residents are delaying healthcare, according to a new survey released today from Zocdoc and Kelton Global. Eighty-five percent of Denverites admit that they've neglected or put off seeing a doctor or booking regular appointments, and that's after reporting that, on average, they've spent an exhausting 1.5 hours looking for the right doctor.

Two-in-five of Denver's healthcare neglectors blame the challenging booking process as the top reason for delaying care, and they find the booking process more difficult than filing taxes (23%) or navigating traffic jams (29%).

Residents also struggle with finding a new doctor. Nearly half (44%) of Denver residents would rather sit in traffic than search for a doctor, and nearly one-third (30%) say searching for a new doctor is worse than waiting in line for security at Denver International Airport.  

Two-thirds of Denverites under the age of 35 looked for a doctor in the past year (66%) and 15 percent of searches performed by this group were launched because patients couldn't get an appointment with their doctor. It's no wonder: according to research by Merritt Hawkins, the average wait time for a family medicine/primary care appointment in Denver is nearly four weeks (27 days).

Find the Right Doctor:
Denver residents have mile high expectations for local healthcare providers, defining key characteristics of the "perfect doctor" as someone who:

• Accepts their health insurance (81%),
• Is conveniently located (74%),
• Has a compassionate bedside manner (69%) and a sense of humor (59%), and
• Is able to accommodate last-minute appointments within the next 24 to 48 hours (56%).

Get Care Right Now:
For busy Denverites, convenience and transparency top the list: residents would be more likely to schedule visits with a doctor when they are supposed to if they:

• Were sure that the doctor accepted their health insurance (47%),
• Could pick their preferred appointment time (44%),
• Received reminders via email or text message when it was time for my next visit (39%)
• Didn't have to book appointments too far in advance (38%),
• Could book an appointment at any time, and not just during work hours/when the doctor's office is open (37%), and
• Could interact with their doctor online, such as making appointments or filling out paperwork (33%).

With a new investment in the Denver market, Zocdoc is expanding easy access to care and delivering a modern, digital health experience to people who don't want to waste time finding the right doctor exactly when they need care. Recently, Zocdoc has increased the number of bookable providers in Colorado by more than 50 percent, and now Denver patients can find, on average, more than 4,800 hours of same-day availability per week across all providers.

"Our survey revealed that more than half of Denver residents would be more likely to schedule with a doctor that can accommodate last-minute appointments within the next 24 to 48 hours," said Oliver Kharraz, M.D., Zocdoc CEO and co-founder. "They're in luck because the typical Zocdoc patient sees a doctor within 24 hours of booking, 27 times faster than the average Denver wait time. Zocdoc's free service makes the search and appointment-booking process simpler and faster; Denverites can more quickly and easily find doctors and instantly book appointments online - right in the moment when they need care."

About the Denver Healthcare Dropouts Survey
The Zocdoc Denver Healthcare Dropouts Survey was conducted May 16th - May 23rd, 2018 by Kelton Global among 1,030 Denver adult (18+) residents through an online survey.

About Zocdoc
Zocdoc is the tech company at the beginning of a better healthcare experience. Each month, millions of patients use Zocdoc.com or our iOS and Android apps to find in-network neighborhood doctors, instantly book appointments online, see what other real patients have to say, get reminders for upcoming appointments and preventive checkups, fill out their paperwork online, and more. With a mission to give power to the patient, Zocdoc's online marketplace delivers the accessible and simple experience patients expect and deserve.

Contact: Allison Morgan, allison.morgan@zocdoc.com

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SOURCE Zocdoc