Health Consumerism Isn’t Dead. But Your Digital Strategy Might Be.

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Consumerism in healthcare isn’t dead — it’s continuing to evolve. Even as many retailers (CVS Health, Walmart, Amazon, etc.) have slowed their entrance into healthcare on the account of “healthcare being hard”, today’s consumers are still shopping for care (arguably more than ever). But they’re not doing it in the way of legacy portals and websites of the past. Increasingly, their journeys start with AI-generated summaries, not a health system’s homepage.

If health systems don’t adapt to this new discovery model, they risk becoming invisible on the web (where the majority of searches for care start). And when a system is invisible in the digital space, they’re losing patients to those who aren’t.

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The Search Shift

The most valuable patients for health systems (those who are tech-savvy, commercially insured, passionate, and likely to spend) are increasingly turning to generative AI search tools for healthcare information. These summary tools are often bypassing local health systems entirely.

In just the last year, click-through rates from traditional search have dropped by 30 percent across industries. Even large health systems with strong search rankings and deep content libraries are still seeing double-digit declines in traffic. Why? Because generative answers from tools like Google’s AI Overviews are satisfying questions without sending users to a health system's website. AI now controls the top of the funnel.

When a health system does earn that increasingly rare click, what happens next is more important than ever.

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Health Systems Need a Conversion Engine

In an environment where fewer consumers are making it to a health system's website, every visit is exponentially more valuable. That’s where Praia Health comes in.

Praia Health turns a coveted new consumer into an active patient with scheduled appointments, account sign-ups, and lasting loyalty. Our consumer experience orchestration platform converts a single visit into the beginning of a relationship.

Here’s how:

• We provide the acquisition rails. Praia’s streamlined account creation and ID verification flows increases top of funnel throughput. With Praia, our customers are seeing 12%-15% of accounts being created as net new patients.

• We make every click count. Once someone lands on a website and signs in, our platform delivers a personalized, logged-in experience based on who they are and what they need (spanning both clinical and operational tasks).

• We connect the dots. Our pre-built integrations span CRMs, campaign automation partners, EMRs, third-party point solutions, and patient portals to remove friction and move users seamlessly through their journey.

• We drive conversion. Guided navigation and real-time n-of-1 personalization helps consumers take their next steps. Health systems see 3-5x more engagement from our targeted recommendations with a 300% increase in conversions compared to standard SMS and email.

• We nurture long-term loyalty. Praia doesn’t just help capture attention. With an average monthly retention rate of 67%, the platform creates AI-informed, context-aware follow-ups that keep patients engaged long after their initial interaction. Each new patient acquired is completing on average three subsequent visits with the health system.

In short, Praia helps health systems recover potentially lost traffic volume by doing more with the consumers they do reach. Praia Health acts as the digital glue between content and care pathways. We deliver an experience that doesn’t just inform — it converts, engages, and retains.

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Rewrite Your Playbook

Generative search tools are rewriting the playbook. Health systems that win in this new era will be the ones who treat every click as the start of a journey — not just a casual visit.

Praia Health was built for this reality. While others chase traffic, we help turn intent into action, and action into loyalty.

Because consumerism isn’t dead. But your old digital strategy might be.

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