Generative AI is fundamentally reshaping how patients find and choose care. Health systems that move now can lead the next era of growth.
Just last week, The Wall Street Journal declared it plainly: generative AI is “upending” online search and redefining how marketers reach consumers. The week before, Digiday illustrated in “graphic detail” how AI is rewriting the playbook for both search and advertising. And this week, Becker’s added: as the digital path to care shifts, “healthcare marketers can’t afford to sit still.”
At Brado, we’ve been sounding this alarm for months. This isn’t a tweak to traditional SEO—it’s a foundational rewrite of how people seek, process, and act on information. And while every industry is feeling the shift, healthcare is uniquely exposed.
Every minute, over 70,000 health-related searches are initiated. Sixty-five percent of consumers consult the internet before speaking to a doctor. But the way they evaluate and engage with care is changing. Search is no longer about reaching a destination – it’s about entering a dynamic, AI-mediated dialogue. And too many health systems still aren’t showing up in the right ways when it matters most.
What’s holding them back? According to Digiday, most marketers’ investments in generative AI remain “modest or even nonexistent.” From our experience, it’s not due to ignorance or lack of focus—it’s paralysis. The pace and scale of this shift has many bracing for disruption rather than leading through it.
Here’s where to start. Brado recommends three critical actions health systems must take now:
1. Reinforce Your Digital Infrastructure
Technical SEO is no longer optional. If your content can’t talk to bots, your visibility, traffic, and acquisition will suffer.
2. Shift from Clicks to Conversations
The winners won’t just drive visits—they’ll build trusted digital experiences that guide patients through complex decisions with clarity and empathy.
3. Own the Top of the Funnel
Early-stage intent is a high-need, low-competition zone where trust is built—and where you can engage and build relationships that can ultimately supersede search.
Brado helps health systems lead across all three imperatives:
1. We safeguard your digital presence with technical SEO that prepares your content and infrastructure for an AI-first world.
2. We transform your patient experience with our always-on, Conversational Engagement Platform that meets people with empathy and intelligence.
3. We activate demand earlier with our Mile ZeroSM targeting strategy – capturing attention before competitors even show up and converting it into volume and revenue.
Search is still the #1 driver of patient volume—producing 3x more traffic than any other channel. But without swift action, that advantage is at risk. Acting boldly now allows health systems not only to protect market share—but to grow it by tapping into untapped intent at Mile ZeroSM and using the CEP to maximize the episodic value of each patient acquired over time.
While The Wall Street Journal sees marketers “scrambling” and feeling “alarmed,” we see something else:
A moment to lead.
A chance to reimagine how patients experience your brand.
And an opportunity to grow—smarter, faster, and at scale.
The shift is here. The systems that act now will win.
Ready to act? Contact Andy Parham.