As patient journeys become increasingly fragmented across search engines, review platforms and AI tools, Evan Steele, Founder and CEO of rater8, explains how healthcare providers must rethink visibility, trust and reputation management in an era where AI-driven discovery is reshaping how patients choose their doctors.
For years, patients have found their doctors through a handful of familiar channels: a friend recommended a specialist, a primary care physician wrote a referral or someone searched on Google, scrolled through top-rated practices and booked an appointment. The journey had layers, but the paths were predictable.
That predictability is disappearing.
Different patients, different journeys
Today’s patients still rely on word of mouth and primary care referrals, but they are adding new steps, including verifying recommendations against online reviews, cross-referencing multiple platforms and increasingly, asking AI for answers. According to rater8’s 2025 survey, 31% of patients now use Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews to research healthcare providers. Even more striking, 26% report that AI tools have directly influenced their choice of provider, putting AI on a par with primary care referrals (28%) and healthcare review sites (29%) as a key decision driver.
The patient search journey has fragmented in ways that make visibility a moving target. Imagine 10 patients searching for the same specialist, each approaching the task differently and receiving different results. One may accept a referral and book immediately. Another might see concerning reviews on Healthgrades and choose a different provider. A third may skip referrals altogether and ask an AI assistant to find a highly rated specialist with immediate availability.
The visibility vortex problem
When AI tools evaluate a healthcare organisation, they pull from sources that many practices do not actively monitor.
Practices not only need to be aware of all the channels that can lead prospective patients to them, but also understand that running the same physician search across those channels can produce entirely different citations. For example, Google’s AI Overviews might reference a practice website and Facebook, while ChatGPT surfaces Healthgrades, Doximity and WebMD.
Inconsistent or outdated information erodes AI confidence. When data conflicts, AI models often default to showing nothing rather than risk inaccuracy, causing practices to lose visibility in critical growth channels.
A new patient trust equation
While traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) remains important, emerging disciplines such as generative engine optimisation (GEO) and answer engine optimisation (AEO) reward consistency, recency and credibility across every digital touchpoint.
In a landscape where AI-generated results sit alongside traditional search, trust dynamics are shifting. One-third of patients now trust AI-generated search results as much as traditional search engines.
Control the controllables
Given this complexity, healthcare organisations should focus on what they can influence. A modern reputation management strategy ensures provider information remains consistent, patient feedback is captured at scale and AI tools interpret the practice accurately.
These steps do not guarantee visibility in every AI search, but they significantly increase the likelihood that when AI does surface a practice, the information is accurate and positive.
