Clinicians and staff adopt “shadow AI” tools to move faster, exposing gaps in hospital AI strategy.

Nurses top Gallup’s poll, but trust in clinicians strains under broader healthcare discontent.

Drugmakers could ease fears of transactional, unsupervised prescribing by collaborating with patients’ regular care teams.

Health systems and health insurers are at risk of losing business due to the new law, but have an opportunity to proactively support patients through upcoming changes to Medicaid coverage.

Prominent clinicians and healthcare experts report a growing trend of bad actors using AI to impersonate them online and push unsafe products or unreliable medical information, according to a recent New York Times article. AI deepfakes may further discourage doctors from having their images and voices online. Social platforms must reassure healthcare creators about how they detect AI-driven scammers, enforce impersonation policies, and respond swiftly to deepfake reports.

The majority (86%) of healthcare professionals say AI affects their treatment decisions, although the degree ranges from significant to slight, per a recent DHC Group survey. Healthcare professionals are open to more AI use in medical practice, but they still prefer it as a support tool. Pharma companies should focus on advisory, not decision-making solutions that can help save physicians’ time and add clinical context.

Consumers without experience using digital health tools—like wearables, health apps, or devices to manage a condition—say they’d try one if recommended by a doctor or insurer, according to a recent report from Merge. Direct-to-consumer marketing isn’t the only effective way to drive digital health tool adoption. When it comes to their health, many consumers trust medical professionals over brands—giving health tech players a chance to further prove to insurers, employers, and doctors that their tools deliver real value.

Leading healthcare AI startups, including OpenEvidence, Abridge, UpToDate, and Doximity, are rolling out new products and capabilities in the race to compete for physician adoption and investment funding. Companies could gain an advantage by making their products easily integrated into clinicians’ existing workflows, such as their EHRs. Startups should also showcase the outcomes of their technology to influential stakeholders like medical associations to help establish credibility at the clinician level.

Americans’ trust in federal health agencies and political leaders continues to erode, but while many are confused about what to believe, they still want clearer guidance, per the latest Axios/Ipsos American Health Index. Federal agency staffing cuts, shifting vaccine guidance, and the glut of social media health information have fragmented Americans’ health trust. But trust hasn’t completely disappeared; it’s just gone local. Consumers still believe their doctors and families, creating an opening for healthcare and pharma brands to deliver clear, credible information through those trusted messengers.

The news: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released COVID-19 vaccine recommendations that contradict the federal government’s recent guidance shift. Our take: Conflicting vaccine guidance is creating confusion for patients and healthcare providers, while making public discourse on vaccines more divisive. The responsibility to fix this will now fall on local leaders. States, communities, and physicians must take charge. They need to deliver clear, evidence-based vaccine information directly to people through local clinics, schools, and pharmacies. They must also actively campaign for insurers to continue covering the shots.

The trend: Even amid the surging popularity of weight loss drugs, 60% of respondents to a recent Tebra survey admitted they’re hesitant to ask physicians about GLP-1 medications. Our take: Healthcare and pharma players in the GLP-1 space will want to double down on messaging that obesity is a chronic condition that often requires medication, while integrating testimonials from GLP-1 patients who are proud of their weight loss achievements. Marketers should also craft content that addresses physicians’ specific biases against weight loss drugs and refutes common misconceptions.

The trend: GenAI tools like ChatGPT are providing fewer disclaimers that chatbots are not a substitute for professional medical advice, according to a recent study cited in MIT Technology Review. Our take: Tech players must prioritize user safety—not winning the AI race. Health warnings should be standard, and marketers will need to scale back claims that AI accuracy surpasses physicians’.

The trend: Hispanic and Black people are underrepresented in the clinician workforce compared to the broader US population, according to a KFF analysis of 2023 industry data. Our take: Diversity impacts where patients feel most comfortable seeking healthcare. Providers and marketers should invest in multilingual staff and partner with local community groups that have established relationships with diverse consumers.

The trend: Healthcare professionals are worried that social media influence promotes unhealthy fad diets, per a new Sermo survey. Our take: Healthcare professionals risk losing credibility with patients, who are turning to more relatable (albeit maybe more unreliable) social media influencers. Doctors and nurses will need to enroll in CME nutrition courses and lean into their medical expertise when patients are in the office to offer guidance on nutrition, without seeming heavyhanded.

Gates thinks we have a decade before AI dominates; Schmidt says we have a year. Either way, AI will still need human intervention to keep it on track.

New CMS head suggests AI avatars could replace clinicians: He’s not alone, but we’re dubious—and of the mindset that human relationships are still the bedrock of a high-quality patient experience.

Doctors’ ethics ratings slip: We explore what’s driving the decline in this new data, and examine how trust in physicians can be rebuilt.

Consumers are using the internet and social media to a great extent for healthcare purposes. Here’s what healthcare and pharma marketers need to know about how online-acquired information influences patient action.

On today's podcast episode (part 2), we discuss how doctors are using GenAI to deliver healthcare, how patients feel about it, and why you may climb into a large AI-driven box for your next primary care visit. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Rajiv Leventhal.

The US physician population is changing. The older generations are predominantly white and male, but those younger than 50 are predominantly female and growing more racially diverse. What do providers and marketers need to know to connect with this cohort?