Episode summary
Oliver Kharraz, Zocdoc CEO | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 12 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Oliver Kharraz
Summary
Zocdoc is positioning itself as the booking layer for healthcare as AI becomes a starting point for patients seeking information. Oliver Kharraz said the company has spent nearly 20 years building infrastructure that helps people find and book doctors, and now it is opening that infrastructure to third parties, including a new partnership with the Gemini app for agentic appointment booking. He argued that Zocdoc’s role is to connect the information patients get from AI with the care delivered by doctors.
Kharraz said the value of the model is speed and convenience: the typical appointment on Zocdoc happens within 24 to 72 hours, compared with about 31 days when patients call around. He said that faster access can keep patients out of the emergency room and get them treatment before conditions worsen. He also said patients are increasingly arriving informed by AI, and doctors generally welcome that engagement as long as AI stays focused on information and providers make the treatment decisions.
The company says it now has more than 200,000 providers on the platform, with that network having compounded roughly 50% over the last few years. Kharraz also highlighted Zocdoc’s closed-loop review system, saying patients can only review doctors they have actually booked and seen through the platform.
Key takeaways
- Oliver Kharraz said Zocdoc is opening its booking infrastructure to third parties, including a new integration with the Gemini app.
- Kharraz said Zocdoc appointments typically happen within 24 to 72 hours, versus about 31 days when patients call around.
- He said more than 200,000 providers are on the platform, and that network has compounded roughly 50% over the last few years.
- Kharraz argued that AI should provide information while doctors keep the judgment on treatment decisions.
- He said Zocdoc’s review system is closed-loop, so patients can only review doctors they have booked and seen through the platform.
Notable quotes
“we're opening up this infrastructure to third parties. So, we can power access to care everywhere patients search”
“we just announced our partnership with Gemini to bring that seamless agentic appointment booking experience to the Gemini app”
“the only way that you can leave a review on the doctor on Zocdoc is by having booked and seen that doctor through Zocdoc as well”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts, radio, news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Radio.
Hey, earlier this year Bloomberg reported out on how the pharmaceutical industry is using AI to speed up drug discovery with companies including Eli Lilly and Sanofi striking licensing deals with AI companies. And yet, and this was earlier this year, AI has really shown some promise in the early stages of drug development. There is some caution though as the FDA has never cleared an AI designed treatment and some AI made treatments have failed in clinical trials.
So, you know what? We're finding our way through this and that's true when it comes to AI and how healthcare is delivered and how we interact with healthcare professionals.
Yeah, and we have these guardrails set up to prevent bad things from happening and slowly move through them, right? I mean, that's the bureaucracy doing what it's supposed to do.
Exactly. The guardrails do matter. Hey, so we're curious what our next guest has to say cuz they just last week announced a partnership with the Gemini app to make a genetic healthcare appointment bookings a reality.
Delighted to have back with us Dr. Oliver Oliver, excuse me, Karraz. He is the CEO and co-founder of Zocdoc.
It is the platform that connects patients with doctors and also provides telehealth. According to our producer Anna, it's the only way to find healthcare professionals and he joins us in New York City. Um, Dr.
Karraz, good to have you here with Joe and myself. AI, tell us how it's impacting your world increasingly and also how patients communicate and interact with healthcare professionals.
Thank you, Carol. Good to be here. So, as you pointed out, Zocdoc is known as a destination site that makes it really easy to find and book doctors and we've built the infrastructure that makes this possible over the last 20 years.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- ai appointment booking
- healthcare access
- agentic ai
- patient ai usage
- provider ai usage
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Zocdoc
- Gemini
- Bloomberg
Watch the episode
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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