The trend: Consumers want healthcare providers’ digital tools to work better—and for doctors to be more hands-on in using technology to deliver faster insights, according to a recent Software Finder survey of 956 US adults.

Digging into the data: While patient portals are the primary tool for remote engagement, many users find the experience insufficient.

• 24% said doctors respond too slowly to portal messages.
• 22% think patient portals have clunky designs.
• 9% say their portal isn’t available on mobile or is but works poorly.
• 8% can’t understand test results that are sent to the portal.

Patients want physicians to bridge the gap between digital tools and personalized care through more active digital engagement.

• 28% said they’d feel more seen or understood if their physicians acknowledged their online messages and responded faster.
• 20% think doctors can use technology to deliver more personalized health recommendations.
• 20% would like to see AI-generated summaries of test results; 32% have already used an AI tool to help them understand their medical data.

Why it matters: More than 1 in 3 surveyed patients (35%) said they'd consider switching doctors if their digital tools were frustrating or outdated.

As digital-first players scale 24/7 messaging and AI-driven personalization, traditional providers risk losing patient loyalty to these more accessible, low-friction alternatives.

• For example, Hims’ MedMatch AI tool connects patients to customized medications based on millions of anonymized data points.
• Hims’ new lab service also uses AI to create individualized action plans for members based on their test results.
• Noom recently launched AI features that generate personalized health screening reports from in-app face scans.

Recommendations for healthcare providers: Most brick-and-mortar healthcare providers can’t match the tech sophistication of online-only players, but they can take steps to become more digital-focused.

• Emphasize online healthcare access. Telehealth is now ubiquitous in healthcare, but providers can expand offerings by making video, phone, and chat services all available, tailoring to user comfort levels and needs.
• Deploy AI where it adds the most value for patients. Hims’ MedMatch is a nice-to-have, but most patients would be satisfied with AI-generated lab summaries and faster responses to messages—provided the technology is tested and proven accurate.
• Be responsive to patients, even when not enabled by next-gen tech. Portals are basic but still useful for patient communication. Still, just 36% of consumers say they use provider patient portals, per a July 2025 PYMNTS survey. Be transparent about portal response times, route messages to the right team member, and add context to test results instead of just numbers.