Marketing

AI Search and Brand Differentiation: 17 Health Systems’ 2026 Marketing Priorities

Bypaulgruensfelder July 30, 2026

Becker’s Hospital Review January 8, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

AI is fundamentally changing how consumers search for care, as Google and chatbots increasingly answer queries directly instead of surfacing links. In this Becker’s roundup, CMOs at 17 major health systems, including Kaiser Permanente, Northwell Health, Mass General Brigham, and Banner Health, share their top 2026 marketing priorities. Recurring themes: integrating AI into daily marketing workflows, building answer-engine-optimized (AEO) content that surfaces inside AI Overviews and chatbot responses, and doubling down on brand differentiation as competitors converge on similar messaging. Northwell’s CMO Ramon Soto frames the shift starkly: brands are “out of position” to compete once every search defaults to an AI-generated summary.

Why It Matters

AEO is no longer a future consideration. If a health system’s content isn’t structured to be cited inside an AI summary, it loses the moment before a patient ever reaches its website. Operators should audit how their brand appears in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews now, ahead of competitors locking in visibility.

aeo for healthcare ai search healthcare cmo priorities brand differentiation answer engine optimization health system marketing ai overviews digital front door

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Frequently asked questions

Why does Northwell Health’s CMO say healthcare brands are “out of position” to compete in AI search?

Ramon Soto explains that AI now treats every search query as a prompt, defaulting to an AI-generated summary before any paid or organic links appear. Brands that haven’t structured their content to be cited inside that summary lose visibility before a consumer ever reaches a traditional results page, and Soto expects this shift to accelerate as agentic AI scales.

What AEO strategies are health system CMOs prioritizing for 2026?

Universal Health Services’ CMO Roselle Charlier highlights answer engine optimization (AEO) alongside traditional SEO to make timely, relevant information easily accessible to AI tools. University Hospitals’ David Sylvan similarly says his team is redesigning its “digital front door” specifically to respond to the AI-driven shift in how patients search for care.

How are health systems using AI internally to support marketing teams, not just patient-facing search?

Several CMOs, including those at Banner Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health, and Mass General Brigham, describe using internal AI tools to automate routine content production and free up staff for higher-value work like brand storytelling and real-time consumer insight. Banner’s Don Stanziano frames this as a necessity given ongoing cost pressure on health system marketing budgets.

M&A / Growth Strategy

Better Life Partners and Groups Merge to Expand New England Addiction Care
Bypaulgruensfelder July 29, 2026

Hanover, N.H.-based Better Life Partners has joined the Burlington, Mass.-based Groups care network in a partnership expanding addiction treatment access across New England, announced July 23, 2026. The combined organization offers same- or next-day medication for opioid use disorder, treatment for substance use disorders, and group therapy, plus Virtual Responsive Care, psychiatric medication management, and telehealth. Groups CEO Cooper Zelnick said the deal pairs Better Life’s community-based model with Groups’ clinical resources.

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M&A / Growth Strategy

Dental M&A Rebounds: 175 Practices Sold in H1 2026 as Valuations Head Lower
Bypaulgruensfelder July 28, 2026

Dental practice M&A activity rebounded in the first half of 2026, with at least 175 practice locations sold to DSOs, private equity groups, and other buyers, according to TUSK Practice Sales, a figure the firm says likely undercounts actual volume due to reporting lag. Current valuations range from 5x to more than 9x EBITDA, but TUSK expects multiples to compress toward 4x-6x as dentistry matures into a more consolidated industry, with DSOs still structuring 60% to 85%+ of deal consideration in cash at closing. ADA data show 16.1% of U.S. dentists were DSO-affiliated in 2024.

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Marketing

Patients Choose the Hospital Brand First: 53% Pick a System Before a Doctor
Bypaulgruensfelder July 27, 2026

When patients face a new health issue, a majority now choose the hospital or system first: 53% select a hospital first or pick a hospital and physician simultaneously, according to a July 2026 U.S. News & World Report survey of 500 U.S. adults who arranged care in the past 24 months. Hospital brand loyalty runs deep enough that 20% would switch providers to receive care at their preferred hospital. U.S. News attributes the pull to perceived safety, technology, and coordinated care across a trusted system. The data lands as U.S. News prepares its 37th Best Hospitals rankings (Aug. 4, 2026), adding new state and metro specialty rankings.

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M&A / Growth Strategy

Healthcare M&A Trends Q2 2026: PPM, Outpatient, and PE Scrutiny
Bypaulgruensfelder July 26, 2026

Healthcare M&A stayed steady in Q2 2026, driven by consolidation, AI integration, and cross-sector deals despite intensifying scrutiny of PE-backed MSO arrangements. Physician practice management remained active, with enablement platforms like Privia Health offering an alternative to full-ownership roll-ups. Ascension closed its AMSURG acquisition to become the third-largest ambulatory surgery center platform. For-profit systems kept divesting non-core assets—CHS sold Crestwood Medical Center for $459 million and four Arkansas hospitals to Freeman Health, part of a $1.2 billion, nine-hospital divestiture plan. Home health, hospice, and behavioral health saw continued PE-backed roll-ups, while digital health and health IT capital concentrated around scaled, high-performing platforms amid tariff-driven volatility and antitrust pressure.

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Operations

Commure Targets the 35–50% of Referrals That Never Convert
Bypaulgruensfelder July 26, 2026

Between 35% and 50% of medical referrals never result in a completed specialist appointment, and those that do take 31 days on average — a gap Commure’s new Orchestrator platform aims to close by automating end-to-end referral management and patient intake. The AI platform replaces fax-based referral workflows, targets referral leakage, and cuts pre-visit administrative work such as authorization holds and manual hand-offs. Commure frames the economics plainly: every unconverted referral is both a patient lost to follow-up and revenue that never shows up on the books. The launch adds to a fast-growing category of AI tools aimed at the pre-visit workflow, where leakage and intake friction remain among the most measurable revenue drains for multi-site provider groups.

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M&A / Growth Strategy

Select Medical Goes Private in $3.9B Welsh Carson-Led Deal
Bypaulgruensfelder July 26, 2026

Select Medical Holdings completed a $3.9 billion take-private on July 1, 2026, led by its founders and private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe at $16.50 per share — an 18% premium to its pre-announcement close. The Mechanicsburg, Pa. operator runs outpatient physical therapy (including NovaCare) across roughly 1,850 locations in 36 states, plus 104 long-term acute-care hospitals and 38 rehabilitation hospitals, with more than 45,000 employees and $5.5 billion in 2025 revenue. Management rolled equity alongside the sponsor, keeping operating leadership invested through the next value-creation cycle in post-acute and outpatient rehab.

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