FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2015
Contact: Anthony Berry
(508) 793-5394
anthony.berry@umassmemorial.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/umassmemorial 

WORCESTER, Mass., Jan. 21, 2015 – Today, UMass Memorial Health Care has introduced a new service that helps patients more seamlessly access UMass Memorial Medical Group physicians via online scheduling. The service facilitates online appointment-making with participating providers in 10 specialties including primary care for adults and children, cardiology, family medicine, ob-gyn, orthopedic surgery, pain management, physiatry, plastic surgery and urology. Additional physicians and appointment availability will be added in the coming months. Visit us.

To use this free service, patients visit umassmemorialhealthcare.org/bookonline to select a physician. Patients can then see doctor’s schedules in real time, along with qualifications, verified patient reviews, photos, and additional tools for selecting providers who best fit their needs. Patients can then choose an open timeslot and schedule their own appointment with a few clicks. This service removes friction from the traditional patient experience by eliminating time-consuming phone calls, helping patients schedule appointments with doctors 24/7 (even when the office is closed), and even sending email and text reminders about upcoming appointments. 

“This furthers our commitment of placing the highest priority possible on the comfort and convenience offered to our patients,” says Eric Dickson, MD, CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care. “We are committed to providing world class access to our world class physicians. Having the ability to easily schedule an appointment online is an important component of improving the experience for our patients,” Dickson added.

UMass Memorial Health Care has more than 1,100 physicians in 80 locations throughout Central Massachusetts. In addition to online scheduling, the health care system has also made other changes to simplify appointment making. A single phone line (1-855-UMass-MD) now connects patients with physicians at any location, and online appointment request forms are available for some locations. 

The typical ZocDoc appointment takes place in just 24 hours. This is made possible by ZocDoc’s online marketplace that shows doctors’ real-time availability – including last-minute cancellations and no-shows – to patients who are seeking care. 

About UMass Memorial Health Care
UMass Memorial Health Care is the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts with more than 12,000 employees and 1,600 physicians, many of whom are members of UMass Memorial Medical Group. Our member hospitals and entities include Clinton Hospital, HealthAlliance Hospital, Marlborough Hospital, UMass Memorial Medical Center and Community Healthlink, our behavioral health agency. With our teaching and research partner, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, our extensive primary care network and our cancer, diabetes, heart and vascular, and musculoskeletal programs, UMass Memorial delivers safe, high-quality and compassionate care

About ZocDoc
ZocDoc is the tech company at the beginning of a better healthcare experience. Each month, millions of patients use ZocDoc 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. ZocDoc is free for patients and available across the United States via ZocDoc.com or the ZocDoc app for iPhone and Android.