Google adds doctors’ appointment availability to search

Google will show the next available appointment with a health care provider directly on search, the company announced today.

The company is working with MinuteClinic at CVS and other unnamed appointment schedulers during the initial rollout, which will start in the coming weeks, product manager Jackie DeJesse said during a press briefing. It will initially only be available in English.

Google

If someone searches for a doctor or a health provider’s office, they’ll see what types of appointments are available and the date of the earliest appointment. A “book” button will direct them to a third-party site to make an appointment.

Searching for a San Francisco MinuteClinic, for example, will show an “appointments” tab with options for a TB test, vaccinations, skin condition, and other types of appointments. People can’t currently add advertisements to that section, DeJesse said.

The tool’s debut comes after Google highlighted other health care search features in December, including the ability to see what languages are spoken in a doctor’s office and what insurance networks an office takes.