How long do patients take to decide before booking a consultation?
CPQL Benchmarks India 2026: Healthcare Specialty Database
16 specialty rows · 272 account records · median first-touch-to-consultation days · Q2 2026 refresh
Short answer: it depends almost entirely on the specialty. In ICG's CPQL dataset (272 account records, 16 specialties, Q2 2026), the median time from a patient's first touchpoint to a first consultation ranged from 1 day for GP visits to 120 days for IVF (n = 57 accounts). Hair transplant took a median 60 days, plastic surgery 75 and LASIK 30.
Decision time is one of the least discussed numbers in healthcare marketing, and one of the most consequential. It decides how long you should keep following up an enquiry, how you should judge a campaign, and why a month of good ads in some specialties produces few patients in that month. The figures below come from the ICG CPQL benchmark dataset for India, which publishes the consideration cycle next to cost, attendance and conversion for each specialty.
Days from first touchpoint to consultation
Median patient consideration cycle by specialty (days)
First touchpoint to first consultation · 16 specialties · 272 account records · ICG CPQL dataset, Q2 2026
The spread is two orders of magnitude. A family physician's patient usually books the same or next day. An IVF patient, in the median case, takes four months between first contact and first consultation, and many take longer. The specialties with the longest cycles are also those with the lowest share of enquiries that ever attend, as we showed in what percentage of patient enquiries turn up.
The whole funnel, for the long-cycle specialties
| Specialty | Days to consult | Enquiries that attend | Consults that book treatment | ICG CPQL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IVF / fertility (57) | 120 | 34% | 40% | ₹1,180 |
| Plastic surgery (14) | 75 | 38% | 55% | ₹2,200 |
| Hair transplant (18) | 60 | 36% | 55% | ₹1,350 |
| LASIK (22) | 30 | 58% | 50% | ₹1,080 |
| Aesthetic dermatology (43) | 21 | 42% | 60% | ₹950 |
| Dental, cosmetic (18) | 21 | 48% | 55% | ₹710 |
| Dental, general (38) | 7 | 71% | 65% | ₹780 |
Accounts in brackets. CPQL = media spend ÷ attended first consultations. "Consults that book treatment" = share of first consultations converting to a paid procedure or treatment booking. Source: ICG CPQL benchmark dataset, Q2 2026.
Put the columns together and the economics of a long-cycle specialty become clear. Of 100 IVF enquiries, about 34 attend a consultation, often months later, and about 14 of those book treatment. Of 100 general dental enquiries, about 71 attend within a week or so and about 46 book treatment. Neither specialty is "better"; they need different marketing operations.
What the decision cycle should change in your marketing
1. Your reporting window
A monthly report that compares this month's ad spend with this month's consultations works for dental or GP practices. For IVF, plastic surgery or hair transplant, most of this month's consultations came from enquiries made months ago. Report by enquiry cohort instead: of the people who enquired in June, how many had attended by October? Otherwise good campaigns will look poor and get cut just before they pay back.
2. Your follow-up length
If the median IVF patient needs 120 days, a follow-up sequence that ends after two weeks discards most of the eventual patients. Plan for the full cycle: a prompt first reply, a counselling invitation, then periodic, useful contact (answers to common questions, an explainer on what the first consultation involves, an invitation to an information session). Every message must rely on consent the patient gave, as the DPDP Act 2023 requires, and must avoid outcome or success-rate promises, which the ART Act 2021, NMC rules and ASCI codes restrict.
3. Your content
Long cycles are research cycles. Patients compare clinics, watch videos and read before they book. Content that answers the questions they ask in that period (process, timelines, what affects suitability, how costs are explained) keeps your clinic in the shortlist. For short-cycle specialties, the priority is the opposite: being findable and bookable immediately, which puts the weight on Google Business Profile and calls.
4. Your channel mix
Short-cycle specialties reward high-intent search and local listings. Long-cycle specialties also need channels that stay in front of a patient over months, such as video and educational content. Note that platform policies restrict remarketing based on health-related browsing, so plan long-cycle follow-up around consented first-party contact rather than retargeting alone.
A quick self-check
- Do you know your own median days from enquiry to consultation? If not, a CRM export matched against appointment records will tell you.
- Does your follow-up last at least as long as that median?
- Do you judge campaigns on a window at least that long?
ICG builds these funnels for IVF and fertility centres, hair transplant clinics and eye hospitals, with a healthcare CRM that tracks each enquiry to its eventual visit.
Read the full report
This article uses one finding from CPQL Benchmarks India 2026: Healthcare Specialty Database. The report has the full tables, the method and the limits, and it is free to quote with credit and a link.
Want your own numbers next to these? Ask for a free review of how your follow-up matches your specialty's decision cycle. ICG works with 150+ healthcare brands; there is no obligation, and we will tell you if nothing needs fixing.
