Patients are increasingly turning to AI and other digital tools before entering the healthcare system, according to a new report from the ZS Impact Institute. In a survey of more than 10,000 healthcare consumers and providers across the U.S., Germany, and China, roughly 90% of people who use digital tools for health information said they trust the results nearly as much as information from a doctor.
The findings suggest that more healthcare decisions are beginning online. Forty-two percent of U.S. consumers research symptoms before deciding whether to see a doctor, while 52% request specific medications. Sixty-eight percent of providers reported an increase in patients asking for treatments by name.
Patients still face lengthy delays once they enter the healthcare system. About four in 10 respondents across the three countries said they waited more than three months to see a specialist. The report also found that 68% of German patients delay care until they are sick, 32% of Chinese patients do not begin prescribed treatments, and 58% of U.S. patients stop treatment early.
ZS estimates that diagnosing patients sooner could generate nearly $500 billion in annual direct medical savings across major U.S. disease categories. The firm argues that providers, insurers, medical technology companies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers should use AI and patient data to identify delays and help people move through care more efficiently.
“AI has put medical knowledge directly in patients’ hands, but the healthcare system still assumes patients will come to it first,” said Jon Roffman, a ZS Principal and lead contributor to the report. “That model has changed.”