A new website is coming to the Twin Cities that will allow patients to find a doctor in their network; they will be able to see if the doctor has time available and find reviews. Here’s the quick take via Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal…

Patients can use ZocDoc Inc.’s website or mobile app to book appointments with primary care doctors, dentists and some specialists for free. Consumers can search for physicians based on their health plan, allowing them to target in-network doctors.

ZocDoc declined to disclose how many Twin Cities physicians are participating in its network, though it looks like the pickings are slim right now. It’s mostly working with independent practices, but expects to add a broader range of providers in the future, a company spokesman said.

ZocDoc’s service aims to help consumers get into see a doctor quickly via “hidden” appointment slots such as those opened by a cancellation, the company said.

I think it’s a great idea! But it brings up an interesting shift in the industry. Reputation and reputation management is becoming more and more important. I learned this first at a TED talk on Task Rabbit. They spun the conversation to focus on trust – but I’d add that with trust is knowing that your reputation stands up to that trust – especially when statistics also show that 78 percent of people trust peer recommendations, while 14 percent trust advertising. The tourism industry has been experiencing this shift for years with sites such as TripAdvisor. Fun to see it extending. And a good reminder to pay attention to your reputation online and off.