AI Now a Force in Finding Healthcare Providers

According to a 2026 Patient Choice report from healthcare reputation management firm Rater Eight, and as reported by MediaPost, reliance on AI to choose a healthcare provider has more than doubled in the past year from 17% a year ago to 36% this year, completely upending traditional methods like search engine marketing and referrals from other doctors. The report found that 47% of respondents have used AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overviews to research providers, up from 31% in Rater Eight's prior research done nine months earlier. And one surprising finding, more 45 to 60 year-olds, reported actively using AI to find their providers.