AU students looking for specialized medical advice outside of the Student Health Center will have more options when ZocDoc.com, a free Web service that helps people book appointments with doctors in their area, expands service to D.C.
On ZocDoc.com, a person can search for a doctor by location and what type of insurance the doctor accepts. Users can also read detailed information about doctors, as well as reviews from patients.
ZocDoc was started in 2007 in New York City to help people set up dentist appointments, but later expanded to help people set up appointments with more specialized doctors like dermatologists, psychiatrists and allergists, according to ZocDoc.com.
ZocDoc’s move to D.C. was a response to the growing demand for accessible health care in the D.C. area, according to Karsten Vagner, director of communications for ZocDoc. D.C. was the first choice in ZocDoc’s recent poll of what city ZocDoc should offer service in next.
Vagner said ZocDoc’s expansion to D.C. is logical given the nature of the city and its people.
“Washington, D.C., is a transient city with many people who are only staying for a short amount of time, like college students,” Vagner said. “But the average wait time for scheduling a doctor’s appointment in the D.C. area can be up to 30 days. With ZocDoc, people could schedule an appointment within 24 hours.”
The Web site will be expanding to other major metropolitan areas in the near future. ZocDoc recently posted another poll on its Web site asking users what city it should expand to after the District, with choices including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Daniel Bruey, the director of the Student Health Center, said while students on the AU health care plan are required to use the SHC for primary care, students with private insurance are free to use services like ZocDoc to seek outside medical care.
Bruey said the SHC has a number of advantages for AU students regardless of what kind of insurance they have.
“The advantages for students using the health center include convenient, low-cost, quality care, health promotion and prevention programming focusing on the needs of college students and assistance in navigating immunization requirements and health insurance,” Bruey said.
Bruey also pointed out that students can, in most instances, schedule same-day appointments with the SHC or schedule appointments with the SHC online.
Some AU students saw ZocDoc as a welcome alternative to the SHC. Though she has never been to the SHC, Katherine Beckett, a senior in the School of International Service, said if she needed medical attention she would rather find a doctor off campus.
Beckett also said ZocDoc could be useful for students who want a good doctor but do not know where to find one.
“I don’t often go to the doctor unless I’m really sick, but if I did need a doctor I would probably use something like ZocDoc,” Beckett said. “As a college student unfamiliar with Washington, D.C., it’s hard to find good doctors or hospitals in the area.”
Lauren Olson, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she would most likely use ZocDoc if she needed to find a certain kind of doctor quickly.
“ZocDoc could save time and be really convenient,” Olson said. “This is better than having to get my doctor at home to refer me to someone in D.C. It’s good to know that I can find a specialized doctor if I need one.”
You can reach this staff writer at jryan@theeagleonline.com.