As more patients turn to artificial intelligence agents to manage their healthcare, Zocdoc is opening its healthcare access infrastructure to streamline the process.
Beginning Oct. 28, agents can connect patients to care through a variety of channels—including MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, deep links and more.
Zocdoc Chief Strategy Officer Alex Doyne told Fierce Healthcare AI agents are “becoming a new starting point for patients seeking healthcare.”
Doyne said traffic from AI agents on the platform has “at least doubled roughly every three weeks since July.”
“AI agents can help patients navigate their healthcare options and take action on their behalf, but they're only as reliable as the information and systems they can access,” Doyne said. “By connecting agents to Zocdoc's infrastructure, we can ensure they are booking the right appointments for patients.”
Zocdoc has more than 175 scheduling integrations, with more than 10,000 insurance plans and 200,000 verified providers in its network, according to Doyne.
“Opening that infrastructure to agents means they now have access to a reliable booking experience,” Doyne said.
Doyne added healthcare is “particularly challenging” for AI agents since “so much of the information available online is fragmented, outdated, or inaccurate,” which can have “real consequences for patients who may already be struggling to access care.”
“That's why it's critical that agents have access to reliable provider and insurance information, accurate availability, and infrastructure that ensures the booking is integrated with a provider’s calendar and will hold on the day,” Doyne said.
“We've established a two-way promise that sets clear expectations for Zocdoc and the agents connecting to our infrastructure,” Doyne said. “Zocdoc commits to welcoming agents that register and identify themselves, while agents are expected to obtain explicit patient consent before booking appointments and protect patient and provider data.”
The company also announced a partnership with AI personal assistant Instinct to let agents use Zocdoc’s healthcare access infrastructure to find vetted providers, verify insurance benefits and book appointments.
“Instinct is built to genuinely improve your life and handle important everyday tasks,” said Ben Schwerin, Instinct chief business officer, in a statement. “Since healthcare is more complicated than ordering groceries or booking travel, the stakes are higher. By partnering with Zocdoc, Instinct can navigate that complexity – so getting an appointment can be as simple as sending a text.”
Instinct will join Zocdoc’s growing Care Access Network, which also includes Google Gemini, Amazon Health AI, Yelp, Healthgrades and more.
Last month, Zocdoc acquired Sohar Health in its push to evolve beyond an appointment-booking marketplace into broader healthcare access infrastructure.
Sohar Health helps healthcare organizations simplify insurance workflows, and its APIs automate insurance discovery, eligibility and benefits verification, network status checks and cost estimates.
It marked the company's first acquisition in its nearly 20-year history, executives said.