The scale of the problem is enormous – the recent (and subsequently semi-retracted) pledge of the health care industry to slow the increase in cost by 1.5% was projected to save $2 trillion. No wonder, then, that the new administration has earmarked nearly $20 billion in the HITECH stimulus bill to build IT systems that can create efficiency and help reduce cost.

While this investment in IT has great potential for health care, the industry’s major crisis probably won’t be averted in time: by 2018, health care costs per capita are projected to swell by 60%. The system needs an IT solution that is faster-acting and easier to implement.

One such opportunity for short-term savings is reducing emergency room visits. More than $67 billion is spent on the 120 million ER visits per year in the United States. That amount of spending is staggering and completely avoidable.

An estimated 35% of patients who seek help in an ER could go to a doctor’s office instead – at an 80% discount. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the median cost of an office visit is $63, while the average cost of an ER visit (with no x-rays, lab tests or surgery) is a whopping $302. The median hospital outpatient visit comes in at $131. Put these numbers together, and the savings potential comes out to $18 billion per year. So why has this huge amount of savings not been recovered?

Probably because considering a primary care doctor as an alternative to the ER appears to make no sense.

In larger U.S. cities patients wait an average of 20 days between making an appointment and seeing a doctor. In Boston the average wait is 49 days, in Atlanta, the best city in a 2009 survey, it is 11. Clearly, these waiting times are far too long for an emergency situation. But these numbers don’t reflect the reality in a doctor’s office.

Roughly 20% of patients cancel in the last minute or simply don’t show up at all. These available times are usually wasted and virtually impossible to discover for the emergency patient, giving patients with avoidable cases no alternative but to contribute to an overcrowded emergency room.

ZocDoc is a system that can significantly reduce ER cost: 38% of appointments made through the system are for appointments within the next 24 hours, and over 60% fall within 3 days. Moreover, 18% of ZocDoc patients self-identify as emergencies.

A matching system creates a win-win-win situation: payors see significant savings, doctors see more patients, and patients are seen faster. Matching demand to supply is an integral part of any business, so why should it be any different for health care?

Emergencies, after all, should be dealt with in a hurry.

Today ZocDoc has added appointments with Physical Therapists and Physiatrists in New York. There are so many ways to hurt yourself – sports injuries rank among the highest – we thought it was about time that added professionals who can help treat you quickly.

This leads to the question: What’s the difference between Physical Therapists and Physiatrists?

• Physical Therapists treat a vast array of problems that can affect movement, function, and health. All students in current physical therapist education programs graduate a master’s degree level. (Info from physicaltherapy.com)

• Physiatrists are physicians specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatrists can read and interpret MRI scans, perform nerve tests, and prescribe drugs. (Info from physiatry.com)

Here’s what these professionals have in common:

• They are both committed to alleviating impairments and functional limitations.

• They both treat problems that touch upon all major systems in the body.

• They are both available on ZocDoc!

Thank you to CBS5 in San Francisco for featuring ZocDoc! Check out the video after the jump.

CBS features ZocDoc’s San Francisco Expansion from ZocDoc on Vimeo.

Our own Oliver Kharraz (on the far right) was a panelist! He had the chance to talk about innovations, how ZocDoc is using social media, and how we can make lives better in a digital world.

We were so happy to be sharing the panel with Ned Russell of Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, DJ Edgerton, Co-Founder of Pixels & Pills, and the ubiquitous Jay Parkinson.

Special thanks to moderator Augustine Fou, the Group Chief Digital Officer at Healthcare Consultancy Group for leading the panel!

So many great ideas from the panelists and the audience members – what a wonderful event!

Every week we publish an interview with one of our many ZocDoc patients. If you’d like to be one of the patients profiled in this interview, just send us an email at patientfile@zocdoc.com.

The San Francisco Chronicle was kind enough to name Zocdoc Web Site of the Week! We’re really grateful for the warm welcome we’ve received on the West Coast.

San Francisco doctors have record wait times – in primary care and for other specialists. It has always been our belief that patients shouldn’t have to wait days (or weeks!) to get the the care they need. So thank you for the welcome, San Francisco. We’re here to help you find doctors, and find them fast.

ZocDoc is launching in San Francisco! We asked you to vote for our next city, and San Francisco was the resounding winner. We’ll be helping you find San Francisco doctors and San Francisco dermatologists, and we couldn’t be more excited to be on both coasts!

In a sense, it’s like coming home. It was a little over two years ago that ZocDoc launched at TechCrunch40. Three cities, fifteen specialties, and hundreds of thousands of appointments later, we’re proud to be where we are today. And we’re only looking to continue moving forward.

See that cat? He’s looking west.

Have a healthy weekend!