Every listing is a promise. We make providers keep it.
Dead phone numbers and ghost networks waste real people's time. CatchaDoc fights back with a 7-layer verification pipeline and real accountability.
🩺
Dr. Sarah Jenkins
Internal Medicine
VETTED
Phone Routing✓ Verified Live
Insurance Acceptance✓ Daily Sync
New Patient Status✓ Confirmed
Last AuditToday, 8:02 AM
The Problem
Why most directories fail patients
Provider directories get things wrong all the time — and nobody fixes them. The result is ghost networks: listings that look valid but lead nowhere.
❌ What's broken in other directories
✅ How CatchaDoc fixes it
📵
Dead phone numbersDisconnected or unrouted numbers that waste your time and delay care.
🔁
Continuous automated phone testingAI dials and route-checks every listed number on a rolling basis. Real people follow up on anything that fails.
🏚️
Closed offices listed as openPractices that moved or shut down remain on the directory for months or years.
📍
Address and hours confirmed activeEvery location is cross-verified as open and current. Flagged offices get a human review and 24-hour correction window.
💳
Insurance listed but not acceptedPatients choose a provider based on coverage — then get a surprise bill at the desk.
🏥
Daily sync against 100+ insurer rostersAcceptance signals are cross-checked against official plan data every day. Dropped plans get caught fast — not months later.
🚫
"Accepting new patients" — panel actually closedThe listing says yes. The office says no. Patients get turned away after making the trip.
🆕
New-patient status actively confirmedPanel status is verified directly with offices — not inferred from stale data — and re-checked on a regular cycle.
👻
Phantom providers who retired or movedDoctors who left years ago still appear under practices they're no longer affiliated with.
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NPI cross-referencing + license monitoringEvery provider is tied to a verified NPI and active license. State board changes trigger an automatic review and correction.
🔄
Zero accountability — bad data stays bad foreverNo consequences. No deadlines. Errors sit for months because there's no mechanism to force a fix.
⚖️
3-Strike policy with real consequencesVerified issues trigger a fix window. Repeat offenders face suspension and a one-year ban. No warnings that go nowhere.
How We Verify
The verification pipeline — before any badge is issued
A Vetted badge isn't purchased. It's earned by passing through every layer of this pipeline — and re-verified continuously. Here's what happens before and after a provider earns that badge.
Input Sources — What We Collect
1
👥
Patient Reports
Real-time field data — dead numbers, closed offices, wrong insurance
2
🤝
Agent Intel
Local market knowledge — moves, closures, panel changes, plan departures
3
🏦
100+ Insurer Feeds
Official network rosters — credentialing, panel status, plan participation
4
🏛️
State Medical Boards
Active credentials, license status, disciplinary actions across all 50 states
We don't blindly trust one source. When insurer data conflicts with a provider's claim, we cross-check multiple sources, look for repeat patterns, give the provider a chance to submit counter-evidence, and flag sources that repeatedly report bad data.
Trust Signal
What the Vetted badge means to you
When you see a Vetted badge, it means that listing passed the pipeline above — and the provider has legally committed to keeping it accurate.
✔ Vetted
✔ Vetted
What it means for you as a patient
The phone number has been tested and routes correctly
The address is confirmed active and open
Insurance acceptance is cross-referenced against insurer network data
The provider has legally agreed to fix verified issues within 24 hours
Repeat failures trigger suspension and bans — not just a warning email
A visible "Last updated" date shows you how current the listing is
Vetted is an accuracy and accountability signal — not a clinical quality score or a recommendation. It means the listing information is held to stricter standards.
Verification Scope
What we actually verify
Verification reflects checks completed at a point in time — and ongoing monitoring. Reality changes fast, so we rely on all seven input layers continuously.
🪪 Provider & Practice Identity
License is active and in good standing
Provider is confirmed at the practice they're listed under
Each location is tied to the right provider — not a ghost from a past job
Ongoing monitoring for license changes or disciplinary actions
📞 Phone & Location
Phone number actually rings and reaches the right office
Address is confirmed open — not a building they left two years ago
Automated checks run continuously, not just once at sign-up
Real people follow up on anything that doesn't check out
🗓️ Hours & New Patients
Hours listed are hours they actually keep
Whether they're taking new patients is confirmed — not guessed
Booking links go somewhere real, not a dead page
🏥 Insurance Acceptance
Plans listed as accepted are cross-checked against insurer data daily
When a plan gets dropped, it gets caught fast — not months later
If something doesn't match, it gets reviewed before patients are misled
Accuracy Standards
What we expect from every listing
Every provider on CatchaDoc — Vetted or free — is held to minimum accuracy standards. Vetted listings face faster fix windows and stricter enforcement.
Minimum expectations
Phone number works and reaches the right office
Address is real, open, and current
Hours are accurate — no phantom availability
Insurance listed as accepted is actually accepted
"Accepting new patients" means they actually are
Why it matters
Wrong info means real people drive somewhere for nothing
Fake insurance acceptance leads to bills nobody expected
A dead phone number at 8am when you're sick is not a small thing
Providers who repeatedly get it wrong should face real consequences
If reality changes — the listing should change fast. That's the deal.
Accuracy & Accountability
3-Strike Policy — simple, fair, patient-first
Every directory can tell you they care about accuracy. This is how we prove it: real consequences, documented, with no room to indefinitely ignore problems.
Why this exists
Patients book or bail based on what they see in a listing. Every provider plays by the same truth rules. Vetted providers are held to stricter verification and faster correction windows — but a confirmed, unresolved issue counts against any listing on the platform.
What we track
📍Practice Address — correct, current, and open when listed
📞Practice Phone — reachable and routing correctly
🏥Insurance Plan Acceptance — plans shown match acceptance
📅Appointment & Hours — no dead links or fake hours
🆕Accepting New Patients — status reflects reality
How the rule works
Each unique category of verified issue counts as one strike. Multiple reports of the same verified issue count as one strike. Different verified categories count separately.
Report lands — from a patient, plan data, staff review, or crawler.
We notify and correct — when facts support it, change is made and recorded.
Fix window starts — Vetted: 24 business hours. Free: 7 days. Safety/legal issues may override.
We re-check and close — once fixed and confirmed, the issue is resolved.
Example: 12 patient reports of a dead phone line still count as one strike for "Practice Phone Number" once verified — not 12 strikes.
Consequences by strike
Strike
Action
What happens
1st
Warning
Notification sent explaining the issue and how to fix it. Vetted: 24-hour clock starts. Free: 7 days to correct.
2nd
Suspension
Profile labeled SUSPENDED. Messaging and booking paused. Removed from Vetted filters and carousels. Visibility throttled until corrected.
3rd
1-Year Ban
Profile labeled BANNED for one year. Re-entry requires corrections plus a charity donation receipt — donation doesn't erase strike history, it's part of reinstatement.
Appeal Process
Providers can dispute a verified strike by submitting evidence. We re-check the information and either uphold or remove the strike based on what the evidence shows.
Why we don't fine providers
We don't want incentives that look like profit from punishment. Fines could be perceived as a revenue source. Our charity donation system keeps incentives clean and public trust intact.
Examples
What real verified issues look like — and how the process plays out.
Issue
Dr. Aron forgot to pay his phone bill or changed his number, but failed to update his profile.
Impact
Patients can't reach the office — missed calls, no-shows, cancellations, and delayed care.
Resolution
Dr. Aron updates the profile and ensures routing stays accurate to prevent repeat issues.
Issue
Dr. Tomas lists 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday–Friday, but is actually unavailable most afternoons.
Impact
Patients try to book based on false hours — friction, confusion, and drop-off.
Resolution
Schedules stay accurate and updated continuously across calendars and booking pathways.
Issue
Dr. Denice lists a plan as accepted, but no longer takes it.
Impact
Patients book expecting coverage — get told no at the desk. Frustration, wasted time, lost trust.
Resolution
Acceptance signals are corrected and maintained so patients see reality up front.
Issue
Practice lists treatments and approaches that are no longer offered.
Impact
Patients expect services that don't exist — confusion, wasted appointments, lost business.
Resolution
Descriptions are reviewed routinely and updated to reflect current services.
FAQ
Common questions
No. Coverage depends on your specific plan rules, referrals, authorizations, effective dates, and your individual benefits. Vetted is about listing accuracy signals — whether the provider is listed as accepting your plan is verified against insurer data, but your personal coverage is a separate question to confirm with your health plan.
No. Vetted is an accuracy and accountability signal — not a clinical quality score. It means the listing information is held to stricter standards and the provider faces real consequences for letting it drift. It says nothing about clinical skill, bedside manner, or outcomes.
Report it at catchadoc.com/how-you-can-help. Include one detail that helps verification — like "called at 2pm on a Tuesday, number disconnected" or "drove to the address, building is vacant." Anonymous reports are fine. Your report activates our seven-layer verification engine.
Networks change constantly and insurer feeds can lag real-world changes by days or weeks — even with daily reconciliation. We verify signals, not guarantees. Always confirm your specific coverage and in-network status directly with your health plan before booking.
Organic results use relevance, distance, match signals, and listing freshness. Paid placements don't rewrite organic order — they appear in a clearly labeled Sponsored slot above organic results. Vetted status can improve visibility within organic ranking, but the order stays neutral and isn't auctioned.
CatchaDoc is a directory for discovery — not medical advice. Always confirm coverage with your health plan and verify details directly with the provider's office before booking.
Found a bad listing? Report it in under 60 seconds.
Your report activates our seven-layer verification engine. Anonymous reporting is always fine — no login needed.
✔ Vetted
✔ Vetted
