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In this episode, Barbara discusses:

 

  • The importance of shifting to relationship-based, personalized patient care over transactional models.
  • How patient-centric messaging and empathetic communication foster trust and drive practice growth.
  • Using tailored, purposeful content strategies aligned with patient needs and online behaviors.
  • Personal branding for doctors as a foundation of trust and connection, built through consistent, authentic engagement and storytelling.
  • The rise of the “AI patient”: leveraging AI tools to meet modern demands for speed, personalization, and proactive care.
  • Encouragement for doctors to make small but impactful changes—such as trying one AI tool or sharing a personal story—to elevate patient experience and strengthen marketing.

 

Key Takeaways:

” AI is the new stethoscope and the. New receptionist, the new assistant, the new educator. Start with one AI upgrade, whether it’s scheduling triage reminders or content; small improvements change the patient experience dramatically. Before we wrap up, I want to leave you with one question to carry through your week. What is the one change, big or small, I can make this month that will help my patients feel more cared for, more understood, or more supported? Because, in the end, marketing isn’t about algorithms or branding or automation, it’s about people, and people remember how you made them feel.”

 

Connect with Barbara Hales:

 

TRANSCRIPTION

 

Chapter 1: The Five Marketing Shifts Doctors Must Make in 2025

[0:00:03] Dr. Barbara Hales:  

Welcome back to marketing tips for doctors, the place where medicine meets messaging and patient care meets practical strategy. I’m Dr Barbara Hales, your host and medical strategist. Today we’re diving into three big topics every doctor needs to understand in 2025 the five marketing shifts happening right now, how one doctor can become a powerful, trusted brand and what I call the AI patient, because expectations aren’t what they used to be along the way, I’ll share six heartwarming stories, three real case studies, and some clear steps you can take today to elevate your practice. So grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s make your marketing work for you instead of draining your time or energy. The first section is the five marketing shifts doctors must make in 2025. Most practices still operate like patients are passing through a turnstile, but today’s patients expect a relationship, familiarity, personal touch, and continuity. A cardiologist I worked with had a patient named Jim who had been in and out of the ER for years with atrial fibrillation. Every visit, he saw a different doctor, a different nurse, and never once felt known. The cardiologist finally implemented a relationship, first Follow Up program, handwritten notes after procedures, three-day check-ins, and a dedicated teaching nurse. Jim told the doctor, “This is the first time I’ve felt like a person, not a problem.” And guess what? His compliance improved, his outcomes improved, and he sent six new patients within three months. Marketing is simply the act of treating people like they matter. Content that starts with we provide, or we offer is ignored. Patients want to hear. What can you help me solve? How will I feel under your care, and why should I trust you as a pediatrician? A pediatrician began rewriting her website with the parent in mind. Instead of providing well-child visits, she said, we help you raise confident, healthy children, and we’re with you every step of the way. Parents would stop her in the hallway and say that line made me switch practices. Marketing works when people feel understood. Posting Happy Friday is not marketing. Posting with purpose, that’s marketing. An orthopedic practice in Chicago changed just one thing. They created a content calendar tied to patient search behavior, knee pain, Mondays, hip replacement, Wednesdays, and spine care Fridays. Within six months, website traffic grew 312% 312% but more importantly, appointment requests shot up because patients said I found exactly the question I was Googling on your page. Patients don’t want medical jargon. They want reassurance and action steps, practices that win in 2025 aren’t marketing. Sometimes they operate as brands consistently, authentically, and compassionately. If you want to make marketing easier in 2025, start with one thing, choose one shift and implement it this week, small steps create big momentum.

 

Chapter 2: How One Doctor Becomes a Trusted Brand

A doctor’s brand isn’t their logo, colors, or tagline. How one doctor becomes a brand patients trust a doctor’s is a feeling people get when they interact with you. Patients aren’t evaluating procedures. They’re evaluating you. Trust comes first. A family medical doctor named Hannah had a patient, Maria, who was. Terrified after a breast abnormality was found. After the biopsy came back benign, Maria told her Thank you for sitting with me while I cried. That moment was my decision maker. I knew I’d never switch doctors after that; the brand wasn’t Dr Hanna’s degree; it was her humanity. A dermatologist, Dr Patel, started placing a small sign in each room, You are safe. Your concerns are real. We are here to help patients. Took photos of it, shared it online. Called it the empathy clinic, one tiny message created an entire brand identity. Your story is your differentiator. No one has your background, your why, your mission, or your personality. Patients want to know why you became a doctor, why you chose your specialty, what you care about, besides medicine, show up consistently. Branding is not a single act. It’s a rhythm. A gastroenterologist who hated social media agreed to just one weekly video, 60 60-second shot on iPhone, answering one real patient question. After 10 weeks, his new patient said the same thing. I feel like I already know you. Branding is familiarity. Familiarity builds trust, and trust leads to appointments. Pick one part of your story and share it this week on your website, on social media, or in your waiting room. It’s not self-promotion, it’s a connection,

 

Chapter 3: The AI Patient: What Modern Consumers Expect from Healthcare

The AI patient: what modern consumers expect from health care. Today’s patients live in a world of 24/7, grocery delivery, instant flight changes, and hyper-personalized Netflix recommendations; they expect the same from health care, even if we’re not set up that way. Patients want speed and predictability. AI-enhanced scheduling, fast replies, and smart triage make patients feel supported. A mother of a four-year-old had a sudden rash scare at 10 pm, and she used the AI-powered triage chatbot. Within minutes, she received guidance, photos to upload, and the reassurance to come in first thing in the morning. She later wrote, You made me feel like I wasn’t alone at 10 pm, that is priceless. This is the new patient expectation. An elderly patient who struggled with technology used an AI voice assistant connected to the clinic’s system. He called to refill his medications, and the AI system said, I can help you with that. Let’s take it one step at a time. He told the staff the next morning that the robot was nicer to me than my grandson. AI isn’t replacing compassion, it’s extending it. AI can tailor follow-ups, reminders, education, lifestyle, guidance, and pre- and post op instructions based on conditions and history. It delivers what the modern patient craves. You understand me, a large multi-specialty practice implemented AI-driven appointment reminders customized by patient type. Bariatric patients received meal prep reminders. Diabetics received foot care prompts. Cardio patients received medication alerts, no generic messaging, everything. Personalized result, a 28% drop in no shows, this is the AI patient error. AI won’t replace doctors. Doctors who use AI will replace doctors who don’t. Patients don’t want robots. They want doctors who embrace tools that help them feel more informed, more secure, more connected, and more cared for.

 

Chapter 4: Implementing AI and Small Steps for Big Impact / Conclusion

[0:09:56] Dr. Barbara Hales:  

AI is the new stethoscope and the. New receptionist, the new assistant, the new educator. Start with one AI upgrade, whether it’s scheduling triage reminders or content; small improvements change the patient experience dramatically. Before we wrap up, I want to leave you with one question to carry through your week. What is the one change, big or small, I can make this month that will help my patients feel more cared for, more understood, or more supported? Because, in the end, marketing isn’t about algorithms or branding or automation, it’s about people, and people remember how you made them feel. Thank you for joining me today. If this episode inspired you, helped you, or gave you the push you needed, share it with another doctor who could benefit. And if you want support implementing any of these strategies, from AI tools to brand storytelling to patient experience upgrades, you know where to find me. I’m Dr Barbara Hales, the medical strategist. Go to medicalstrategist.com, forward slash contact until next time, keep connecting, keep caring, and keep showing up for your patients and yourself.