Patients now find doctors by asking AI assistants direct questions instead of scrolling through Google search results. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI, and Siri provide immediate recommendations, often naming specific practices. Medical practices that aren't optimized for AI responses are becoming invisible to a growing segment of patients.
The shift started with voice assistants and accelerated with ChatGPT's launch in late 2022. Patients discovered they could ask "Who's the best orthopedic surgeon in Denver?" and get an immediate answer instead of comparing ten different websites.
Google's own data shows that "near me" searches have declined as conversational AI queries have risen. Patients aren't abandoning Google entirely, but they're increasingly using AI for complex healthcare decisions that require synthesis and recommendation rather than a list of links.
Younger patients lead this shift. Over 60% of patients under 40 have used an AI assistant to research healthcare options. But the trend extends across demographics. Anyone comfortable asking Alexa for the weather is equally comfortable asking ChatGPT for a doctor recommendation.
Patients ask AI the same questions they'd ask a trusted friend who happens to know the local medical community. The queries are specific and decision-oriented.
Common questions include: "Who's the best dermatologist in Phoenix that takes Blue Cross?" and "What doctor should I see for chronic back pain?" and "Which pediatrician near me has Saturday hours?" These aren't keyword searches. They're complete questions expecting complete answers.
Patients also ask comparative questions: "Should I see a chiropractor or physical therapist for sciatica?" When AI answers these, it often recommends specific providers. The practice that AI mentions first gets the patient's attention.
Traditional SEO was designed to rank your website on a search results page. The patient would then click your link, browse your site, and decide whether to contact you. AI eliminates most of those steps.
When a patient asks ChatGPT for a recommendation, they get an answer—not a list of ten websites to evaluate. If your practice isn't mentioned in that answer, your SEO ranking doesn't matter. The patient never sees your link because they never see a search results page.
This doesn't mean SEO is dead. Google still processes billions of healthcare queries. But practices that rely exclusively on SEO are missing the patients who now skip Google entirely. And that group grows every month.
AI assistants analyze content across the web to identify authoritative, relevant sources. They look for practices with clear information about services, location, credentials, and patient experience. Consistency across platforms—your website, Google Business Profile, Healthgrades, Zocdoc—signals trustworthiness.
Structure matters as much as content. AI extracts information most easily from websites that use proper headers, FAQ formats, and schema markup. A practice with excellent care but a poorly structured website may never be mentioned.
Patient reviews influence AI recommendations significantly. Practices with consistent positive reviews across multiple platforms appear more often in AI responses. But the reviews need context—AI weighs reviews that mention specific services and outcomes more heavily than generic praise.
The first step is understanding whether AI currently recommends your practice. Ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI the questions your patients would ask. Search for your specialty plus your city. Note whether your practice appears, how it's described, and which competitors show up instead.
Most practices discover they're either absent from AI responses or described inaccurately. Both problems have solutions, but they require expertise in how AI systems process healthcare information.
The practices that adapt fastest will capture patients that competitors never see. AI adoption is accelerating. The window for early-mover advantage is closing. Waiting another year means competing against practices that have already optimized.
Promoting Media helps medical practices appear in AI recommendations through specialized Answer Engine Optimization. We analyze how AI currently sees your practice and implement the content and technical changes needed to get you recommended. Reach out to see where you stand.
