Abstract:
With the acceleration of population aging in China, the imbalance in the distribution of medical resources has become increasingly prominent. The “Internet + Healthcare” policy has emerged as a key initiative to unlock the potential of primary healthcare institutions. This study focuses on the pricing strategies of physicians at primary medical institutions on online healthcare platforms, aiming to explore the mechanisms by which physician service pricing influences patients′ healthcare-seeking behavior. Grounded in signaling theory, this research draws on data from “Good Doctor” (Haodf.com), including basic information, behavioral metrics, and patient volumes of primary healthcare physicians from January to December 2021. Using regression analysis, the study investigates the effect of service pricing on patient choice, along with the moderating effects of physicians′ professional titles, city tiers, online knowledge sharing behavior, and the number of patients previously served. The results reveal that physician service pricing has a significantly positive impact on patients′ consultation choices. Patients are more likely to choose higher-priced physicians when the physicians are located in first-tier cities. Moreover, patients show a preference for physicians who actively share medical knowledge online compared to those who do not. Additionally, the greater the number of patients a physician has served, the more likely they are to attract new patients. However, the physician′s professional title does not significantly moderate the relationship between service pricing and patient choice behavior. This study contributes to a better understanding of how service pricing by primary healthcare physicians affects patient behavior in online medical settings and highlights the moderating roles of physicians′ offline characteristics and online behaviors. These findings offer practical implications for community physicians in adjusting their service pricing and online engagement strategies, and provide empirical support for online healthcare platform operators to improve resource allocation and alleviate the disparity in medical service distribution in China.