For decades, many health systems operated with a foundational assumption: Patients would follow clinical guidance, choose care based on proximity and accept a hospital or physician’s recommendations largely without question.
That reality is gone.
Today’s patients are more informed, more skeptical and more digitally empowered. They are far more likely to evaluate care the way they evaluate almost everything else in their lives — by searching, comparing, listening to peers, and prioritizing experience and trust.
As Devika Mathrani, chief marketing and communications officer of New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian, told Becker’s, “That reality no longer exists — there is much more trust-but-verify.”
Across the industry, that shift is forcing marketing leaders to rethink not only messaging and channels but also the very role marketing plays in shaping the consumer experience.
From authority-driven care to partnership
Patients no longer see themselves as passive recipients of care. They view themselves as decision-makers and expect health systems to meet them where they are.
“Today’s consumers live in a data-driven, digital and mobile-first world,” Ms. Mathrani told Becker’s. “Information is everywhere and in all formats, and misinformation, unfortunately.”
That “trust-but-verify” mindset now extends beyond search engines and social media. OpenAI recently reported that more than 40 million Americans use ChatGPT daily to ask healthcare-related questions, which is another signal that consumers increasingly expect information, transparency and reassurance on demand.
Ms. Mathrani said consumers now have more tools to evaluate healthcare choices, and patients are coming into encounters prepared to ask questions.
“Consumers have unprecedented access to information, tools and peer insights that allow them to research, compare and question every healthcare decision,” she said. “As a result, patients are actively informed participants who expect transparency, choice and a partnership with their clinicians. ‘Partnership’ is the key word.”
That shift, she said, is forcing health systems to rethink how they compete in the marketplace and how they earn trust and loyalty.
“Health systems must rethink how they show up in that information gathering process, how others speak about them, how care teams prepare for and engage with patients, and how trust and loyalty are earned,” Ms. Mathrani said.
She added that loyalty today is shaped less by traditional markers and more by consumer expectations and lived experiences.
“Loyalty is no longer driven by proximity, accolades or legacy. Rather, it is consumer-defined and built through relevance, experience, peer insights and hyper alignment with individual needs,” she said.
The experience matters as much as the care
Another outdated assumption is that clinical need alone drives patient choice.
Chrisie Scott, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health, said consumers are choosing care based on the same emotional and practical filters they use in other decisions.
“For a long time, health systems assumed people chose care based on clinical need alone,” Ms. Scott told Becker’s. “The truth is, people choose healthcare the same way they choose almost everything else, based on how it makes them feel, whether they trust it and if it fits into their real lives. The experience matters as much as the care and service.”
That shift has pushed Virtua to evolve from traditional service-line promotion to marketing that highlights the patient journey and addresses consumer emotions.
“We’ve shifted from promoting services to showing what it’s actually like to get care from us,” Ms. Scott said. “We use storytelling to connect outcomes to quality of life, and we focus on moments that reduce anxiety, build confidence and make the next step feel doable.”
She added that marketing is increasingly influencing experience strategy itself, not just messaging.
“In many organizations, like here at Virtua Health, marketing is engaged in shaping the experience based on consumer insights,” Ms. Scott said.
As more journeys begin online, she said, marketing teams are focused on being present early in the decision process.
“Our job is to make trusted care easy to find and easy to choose,” she said.
Access and proximity are no longer enough
A third long-held belief being upended is that simply expanding access points or building facilities in the “right” locations will automatically drive patient volume and loyalty.
Sandra Mackey, chief marketing officer at Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, said consumer expectations have moved well beyond convenience and geography.
“A long-held assumption in healthcare is that access and proximity alone would drive patient choice. If facilities and care sites are built in the right locations and provide more access points, patients will automatically come,” she told Becker’s.
She added that health systems increasingly have to meet consumer expectations for personalization and engagement.
“Research tells us that today’s consumers expect healthcare to understand them as individuals, anticipate their needs and engage them on their terms, much like every other experience in their lives,” Ms. Mackey said.
That shift is pushing marketing teams to rely more heavily on consumer insights, data and AI-driven personalization.
“This shift is forcing us to rethink marketing and design our campaigns around real consumer insights,” she said. “By utilizing data and AI to power an omnichannel, personalized approach, we’re moving from guessing what patients want to knowing what they need, even before they ask.”
In her view, the change extends beyond tactics and into the core identity of health systems competing for consumer trust.
“This isn’t just a tactical shift. It’s a fundamental change in identity, where consumer experience leads the way in maintaining relevance and trust among patients, and geography is now one of many considerations throughout a patient’s journey,” Ms. Mackey said.
A new marketing mandate: earn trust, prove value, deliver relevance
Taken together, these shifts point to a new reality for health system marketing. Loyalty can’t be assumed, authority isn’t automatic, and proximity alone won’t carry a brand.
Instead, marketing leaders are increasingly focused on the same drivers consumers use across other industries, including relevance, transparency, personalization and experience, with trust as the differentiator.
In 2026, health systems aren’t just competing on clinical excellence. They are competing on how well they understand and serve the modern healthcare consumer across every digital touchpoint and every moment of the experience.
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