This article was published on October 4, 2012

ZocDoc launches check-in service to reduce time spent filling out mundane medical forms


ZocDoc launches check-in service to reduce time spent filling out mundane medical forms

ZocDoc, a free service that allows patients to find and book doctor appointments online in the United States, has unveiled a new product today to help people fill out medical forms quicker and more easily.

ZocDoc Check-In works in parallel with the company’s existing service, by allowing patients to fill out their necessary medical forms online and at any time before they go and visit a doctor. Think of it like the early check-in option available on most airlines, except without all the hassle and with the knowledge that in the end it will actually make you feel better.

Any information submitted to ZocDoc is held securely (or as securely as it can be on the internet) and will also be used to ‘pre-fill’ any forms that a patient submits in the future to a physician registered with ZocDoc.

Next time the patient books an appointment they simply need to verify any information already supplied in the previous form, fill out any new specialty fields and then proceed to check-in again online.

In short, by keeping some of your typical details online – the basic information like your name, date of birth and address – it hopes to rapidly speed up the bureaucracy and waiting around associated with going for a check-up.

ZocDoc founder and CEO Cyrus Massoumi said:

“We hope that ZocDoc Check-In marks the end of the clipboard and further empowers patients to get the care they need.

Improving patients’ experience and offering more convenient ways to see a doctor are just a few of the ways we will strive to transform healthcare in the coming months and years.”

The company says that ZocDoc Check-In will be available from today for 10 percent of its 1.8 million monthly users. However, ZocDoc has also stated that it hopes more medical practices will adopt the new product over time as it becomes more widely known. Fingers crossed, eh?

ZocDoc was founded in 2007 by Cyrus Massoumi, Oliver Kharraz, MD and Nick Ganju. The company is tackling health care head on, one of the biggest issues facing American citizens, rather admirably with what we’ve described in the past as “one of the most structurally intelligent and most powerful technologies” in the industry.

It currently offers appointments with medical practices and healthcare providers in major 31 areas across the United States, inlcuding San Francisco, New York, Washington and Portland. We only hope that it continues to grow.

There are also free ZocDoc apps available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

ZocDoc for iPhone

Image Credit: Asbestos Bill

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