Purpose: This study aims to investigate the factors influencing patient flow in online healthcare platforms. It focuses on the effects of user-generated physician recommendations and physicians’ participation in free consultations. The study also explains whether these effects differ depending on the type of hospital size.Research design, data, and methodology: The research uses a panel dataset of approximately 190,000 consultation records from a major online healthcare platform. A generalized linear model with random effects was employed to analyze the relationship between physician activities and patient flow. By incorporating random effects at the time level, the model captures unobservable shocks that may affect patient behavior. The dependent variable is the patient flows. The study analyzes the positive effects of these two factors on patient flow and tests the hypotheses that these effects are stronger for physicians affiliated with smaller hospitals.Results: Both user recommendations and free consultations significantly increase patient flow to physicians. Moreover, these effects are more pronounced for physicians affiliated with private clinics than for those in university hospitals. This finding suggests that greater organizational flexibility and marketing autonomy can amplify the impact of patient-driven signals. Overall, physician participation demonstrates a differentiated effect depending on the institutional setting.Implications: The study suggests that platform designers and policymakers should implement strategies to encourage physician participation. Promotion incentives and better visibility of patient-driven signals can enhance patient trust and engagement. These findings provide insights for improving the design and competitiveness of online healthcare services.
Jungmin Son (Mon,) studied this question.
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