Your Website Now Competes with Word of Mouth
If your website still reads like a brochure, your referral strategy is doing more work than it should.
At 59%, healthcare provider websites are the top source patients use to learn about orthopedic services. Search engine ads follow at 46%, tied with word of mouth (46%). Paid search now performs on par with personal recommendations.
Patients are also:
- Checking insurance directories (37%) before they think about “best surgeon”
- Doing symptom research on WebMD (27%)
- Using AI tools (18%) to research orthopedic care
Millennials and Gen Z lean heavily on AI and public health sites, while Gen X and Boomers still use WebMD and referrals — but all of them start online.
👉 The whitepaper breaks down these channel behaviors by generation and outlines what your website, search, and AI presence need to do in 2026.
89% of Gen Z
uses AI during their healthcare research
61% of Gen Z & 60% of Millennials
won’t book without cost transparency
59% of patients
start on a provider website
52% of patients
seek non-surgical or spine care first
83% of Gen Z
say social media influences their provider trust
54% of patients
abandon a practice due to difficulty reaching staff
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