Why accurate online listings matter more in the age of AI search
AI FOR FINDING DOCTORS
Why accurate online listings matter more in the age of AI search
A year ago, when I spoke with clients about AI search, I would have been very careful with my wording. Yes, people were clearly experimenting with ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and other AI tools. Yes, AI answers were starting to appear in Google. And yes, we could already see that the way people search online was changing. But I would not have confidently said: “Patients are now using AI to find doctors.”
The honest answer at the time was: we did not really know how many people were doing it. That is why a recent US survey caught my attention.
Els Van de Veire
June 9, 2026
AI FOR FINDING DOCTORS
A trend we can no longer ignore
According to a TechTarget / Xtelligent Patient Engagement article published on 3 June 2026, based on survey data from rater8’s 2026 Patient Choice Report, 47% of respondents said they had used AI to research or find a healthcare provider.
That is probably higher than many people would have expected.
And while we need to be careful with the study, it does give us a useful insight into where patient search behaviour may be heading.
“One of my clients recently told me he is now mainly using Perplexity, Grok and Gemini.
That did not surprise me. He has always been an early adopter, both personally and in the way he runs his practice. He is not necessarily the average patient, but he is often a few steps ahead of where things are going.”
Els Van de Veire | Co-founder Digital Practice
And that is the point. Not everyone is searching this way yet. Some patients still go straight to Google. Some ask their GP. Some ask friends. Some compare reviews. Some do all of the above.
But AI is now becoming part of that mix.
The rater8 survey suggests that this is not just a niche behaviour anymore. It is becoming more common for patients to ask an AI tool questions such as:
“Who is a good knee surgeon near me?”
“Which gastroenterologist treats reflux in Perth?”
“Who are the best obstetricians near Melbourne?”
“Which clinic has good reviews for varicose vein treatment?”
The patient may not see a traditional search results page. They may not scroll through ten websites. They may simply read the AI answer and click one or two of the suggested sources.
AI tools do not magically know your practice details. They pull information from what is already available online. That may include your website, Google Business Profile, specialist directories, hospital profiles, review platforms, old listings, health fund pages and other third-party sources.
If that information is inconsistent, outdated or incomplete, AI tools may repeat the wrong details.
“Let that sink in for a moment. AI may have it wrong. It could be sending patients to the wrong clinic, showing an old phone number, or leaving out the very service they were looking for.”
Els Van de Veire | Co-founder Digital Practice
The rater8 report found that among respondents who had used AI to research healthcare providers, 66% said they had come across incorrect provider information. This included things like wrong addresses, incorrect phone numbers, wrong insurance information or outdated opening hours.
That is the part medical practices should pay attention to.
If AI gives a patient the wrong phone number, they may not keep digging. If it says you are based at an old location, they may assume the practice is too far away. If it misses one of your main services, you may not be included in the answer at all.
In other words, online accuracy is no longer just about Google. It may also affect how AI tools understand and describe your practice.
We still need to be careful with the data
This does not mean we should overstate the findings.
The rater8 survey was US-based. It was conducted via SurveyMonkey in April 2026 and included a final validated sample of 992 US adult patients. It is useful marketing data, but it is not an academic study, and it is not Australian patient research.
So I would not use this data to say: “Half of Australian patients use AI to find doctors.”
That would be too strong.
A more accurate statement would be:
“A US patient survey suggests that AI is becoming a more common part of how people search for healthcare providers.”
That is careful, but still important.
What medical practices should do now
The practical response is not to panic or chase every new AI tool.
The practical response is to make sure your online information is clean, consistent and easy to understand. That means checking your:
Google Business Profile
website contact details
doctor profile pages
hospital profile pages
specialist directories
opening hours
services and treatment pages
location pages
It also means keeping your content clear. AI tools need to understand who you are, where you practise, what you do, and which patients you help.
For medical practices, this is where good SEO and good AI visibility overlap. A clear healthcare website, accurate listings, consistent profiles and helpful content all make it easier for both patients and AI tools to understand your practice.
AI search is not replacing everything overnight. But it is becoming part of how patients make decisions.
And if patients are using AI for finding doctors or asking AI tools about clinics and treatments, then practices need to make sure the information those tools find is accurate.
At Digital Practice, we help medical practices keep their websites, listings and online profiles clear, consistent and up to date. That means patients, and AI tools, are more likely to find the right information about who you are, where you work and how you can help.
A Google Business Profile can affect how doctors appear in local search, Google Maps and AI search. Learn what to check, what to optimise and why it matters.
