Healthcare Consumers Increasingly Turn to AI Before Seeing Doctors, ZS Report Finds

Healthcare consumers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to guide health decisions before consulting physicians, according to the 2026 Future of Health Report released by the ZS Impact Institute on June 24. Based on responses from more than 10,000 healthcare consumers and providers across the United States, Germany, and China, the report found that AI is changing how patients enter and navigate the healthcare system.

The study found that about 90% of respondents who use AI and digital health tools trust the information they receive nearly as much as advice from their physician. Researchers also found that 42% of U.S. consumers search for symptoms online before deciding whether to seek medical care, while 52% ask physicians for specific medications. Among healthcare providers surveyed, 68% reported an increase in patients requesting therapies by name.

Patients Are Shifting Care Decisions Earlier

The report suggests that patients are making more healthcare decisions independently before interacting with providers, changing the traditional care pathway. According to the findings, between 45% and 68% of patients across the surveyed markets delay seeking care until they become sick.

"Patients are changing faster than the system designed to serve them," Jon Roffman, Principal at ZS and lead contributor to the report, said in the announcement. "AI has put medical knowledge directly in patients' hands, but the healthcare system still assumes patients will come to it first."

The report also highlighted challenges after patients enter the healthcare system. In Germany, 68% of patients reported delaying care until they became sick. In China, 32% did not begin prescribed treatment, while 58% of U.S. patients stopped treatment before completion. Around four in 10 patients across all three countries also waited longer than three months to see a specialist.

The findings align with healthcare efforts to use AI to accelerate diagnosis and improve care coordination. Recent initiatives include Mayo Clinic and Microsoft's work on a healthcare-specific frontier AI model to support clinical decision-making and care delivery.

Healthcare Organizations Face Pressure to Adapt

ZS estimated that earlier diagnosis could generate nearly $500 billion in annual direct medical savings in the U.S. across major disease areas by reducing delays in care and improving patient outcomes.

The report argues that healthcare organizations need to redesign services around how patients now search for information and navigate treatment. It recommends using AI and data to identify barriers earlier, coordinate care across the patient journey, and personalize engagement before patients disengage.

Similar efforts are underway across healthcare. AI is increasingly being deployed beyond diagnosis into clinical workflows, including clinical trial recruitment, as demonstrated by Eli Lilly's collaboration with Abridge. AI is also supporting precision medicine through collaborations such as Sophia Genetics and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's work on oncology data.

The World Health Organization has identified digital health as an important tool for improving healthcare access and system efficiency, while emphasizing the need for responsible implementation and governance. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has similarly noted that healthcare organizations continue to face challenges in scaling AI because of fragmented data and operational complexity.

The ZS Impact Institute described the report as its first flagship research publication, aimed at helping executives understand how changing patient behavior and advances in AI are reshaping healthcare delivery.