Why I Hate Zocdoc — And It’s Not for the Reason You Think

In the world of private medical practice, controlling how patients find you isn’t just a marketing strategy — it’s survival. I run a growing multi-location private practice, and over the years I’ve tested nearly every patient acquisition method under the sun. But today I want to share why I, and other doctors, absolutely hate Zocdoc — and it’s not for the reason you might expect.

This isn’t about tech glitches, bad UI, or slow customer support. It’s about the hidden economics and how Zocdoc’s model for doctors undermines your ability to build a sustainable, profitable, and loyal patient base.

Let’s dig in.

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The Real Cost of Patient Acquisition

Let’s start with a basic principle every business owner needs to understand: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). This is the amount of money it takes to get one new customer or patient in the door.

Uber, PayPal, and Amazon have all poured millions into acquiring users. PayPal once famously gave away $10 to every new signup — and to the friend who referred them — just to drive adoption. That’s an insane CAC, but it was strategic.

In medicine, your CAC is just as important. And for those of us in private practice, it’s one of the most expensive line items in the entire business.

So where does Zocdoc for doctors fit in?

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What Zocdoc Used to Be For Doctors

Zocdoc started out as a great idea. It filled a real need in the market at a time when most EMRs didn’t offer online booking. Patients were still calling offices and playing phone tag. Zocdoc stepped in and made it easy to find a provider who takes your insurance, in your area, and has appointments available.

I signed up in 2019. Back then, it was $300/month for unlimited bookings. It worked well. They filled my schedule. Patients showed up. It felt like money well spent.

But those days are gone.

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The Bait and Switch: Zocdoc’s New Model

Zocdoc is no longer a flat-fee service for doctors. Now, providers pay $45 per booking — regardless of whether the patient shows up or not.

Let me repeat that: you get charged $45 the moment someone hits “book appointment.” Even if they cancel two seconds later or even if they no-show. Even if they were confused about what kind of provider they were booking with.

That’s a serious problem.

At my clinic, we saw an average no-show rate of nearly 50% on Zocdoc appointments. That means that for every patient who actually walks through the door, we’re spending $90 in acquisition costs.

If your average visit reimburses around $130, congratulations — you just netted $40 in revenue before overhead. Factor in your rent, malpractice insurance, front desk staff, medical assistants, EMR fees, and lights on the building… and you’re bleeding cash.

It gets worse.

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The One-Night Stand Problem

Zocdoc patients are rarely loyal. Many are one-time visitors — what I call “one-night stands.”

They come in once, usually for something urgent or quick. Maybe they thought they were booking a dermatologist (when we clearly listed primary care). Maybe they booked for acne or diverticulitis and assumed we were specialists. When they realize we’re not who they thought they were booking, they get angry — and leave a bad review or never return.

Even when things go smoothly, they rarely come back. Zocdoc’s own patient demographics skew heavily toward younger users — think 20s to 30s. This group is less likely to have established PCP relationships and more likely to bounce between providers based on convenience and immediacy.

And Zocdoc encourages this behavior. Why? Because they only get paid on the initial booking. Follow-ups don’t generate more revenue for them. So they want that patient to book with someone else next time — another $45 for Zocdoc.

You’re not building a practice. You’re building their platform.

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But What About SEO?

Here’s the one reason we haven’t completely ditched Zocdoc: SEO.

Zocdoc has a strong domain authority. When they link to your website, it boosts your own search engine ranking. For a small or new practice, that boost can help you rise in Google’s local results — which can lead to more direct bookings and long-term patients.

But here’s the catch: you can get that benefit without leaving the door open to endless $45 hits.

We’ve learned to use Zocdoc strategically. When we open a new location, we:

• Set up profiles for each provider
• Collect 5-star reviews (Zocdoc lets you request five manually)
• Earn the SEO benefit
• Then pause new bookings

This lets us gain visibility without letting Zocdoc cannibalize our actual business.

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The Adderall Headache

Another problem that isn’t talked about enough: drug-seeking patients.

In Austin, we saw a disturbing trend of young Zocdoc patients booking visits hoping to get Adderall prescriptions. Many of them had previously used online “telehealth” services charging $200+ a month, and now they were looking to transfer care to a brick-and-mortar PCP.

We don’t run a pill mill. When we declined, they got aggressive — even filed complaints claiming we misrepresented ourselves. It was exhausting.

It’s not just Adderall. We’ve had patients show up angry or confused, expecting dermatology, GI, urgent care, or other services we never claimed to offer.

The result? Burnout for our staff, chaos for our schedule, and bad reviews from patients who never should have been routed to us in the first place.

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The Funnel Problem: Giving Away Your Own Patients

Let’s say you spend $15–20 in Google Ads to get a prospective patient to your website. Instead of calling your office or using your in-house booking tool, they see a “Book Now” link… and click through to Zocdoc.

Congrats. You just gave Zocdoc a patient you paid for — and now they’re in Zocdoc’s ecosystem.

From there, Zocdoc will do everything it can to steer that patient toward another provider for their next visit. Because they only make money on new bookings.

You paid $15. They earned $45. You lost a long-term patient.

That’s not just bad marketing. That’s self-sabotage.

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So What Should You Do Instead?

Doctors, if you rely on Zocdoc as your primary patient acquisition channel, I think your practice is on borrowed time. You’re feeding the Zocdoc machine — but not building your own brand or patient base.

Here’s what we do:

1. Use Zocdoc for SEO only

• Claim your profiles
• Collect your five reviews
• Then pause all future bookings

2. Invest in your own marketing

• Google Ads and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) still work incredibly well when done right
• Learn to write hooks, calls to action, and targeting strategies that actually convert

3. Own your patient funnel

• Use your own booking links
• Don’t outsource to platforms with misaligned incentives

4. Analyze your CAC

• Track how much it costs to acquire a patient from every channel (Google Ads, Meta, organic SEO, referrals)
• Optimize around the best performers

In our practice, once we dialed in our ads, we saw new patient growth climb to over 900 per month — without relying on Zocdoc.

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Final Thoughts: The Cost of Convenience

Zocdoc was built for convenience — and for a while, it served a real need. But the economics have shifted. What once made sense at $300/month now bleeds your business at $45/booking.

For small practices, it may feel like you have no choice but to play the game. I get it. But you can outgrow it — and you should.

Zocdoc is great… for Zocdoc.

For your business? It’s a trap. And unless you want to stay stuck in low-margin, one-and-done appointments forever, you need to start investing in systems that help you own your own growth.

That’s what I’m doing. That’s what I help other practices do. And that’s what I hope this blog post helps you understand.

Don’t build their empire. Build your own.

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Need help getting off Zocdoc and dialing in your own marketing?
I help practices just like yours implement effective, scalable Google and Meta ad strategies to lower CAC and increase patient retention. Let’s talk.

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