AI Agents, The End of Websites, and the Future of Patient Experience
When a healthcare CMO talks about the death of websites, AI “agents” that can do your job for you, and the need for hyper-personalized patient journeys, you know it’s going to be a No Normal conversation. In this episode, UChicago Medicine’s Chief Marketing Officer Andy Chang joins us to discuss how technology is reshaping healthcare marketing—and why the smartest MarTech stacks are designed for human connection as much as machine speed.
From Friction to Seamless
For Andy, marketing isn’t only about creating ads and campaigns—it’s every interaction a patient has with your organization. Every time someone parks their car, walks through a hospital’s doors, books an appointment, or gets follow-up instructions, they’re forming an opinion about your health system’s brand. And those moments matter just as much as any commercial, billboard, or social post. In healthcare, these touchpoints often come with unnecessary roadblocks—confusing phone trees, repetitive form fills, and long waits for basic information. That’s friction, and in a competitive, consumer-driven healthcare market, it’s a silent brand killer.
This approach is powered by a central customer data platform (CDP) integrated with AI—allowing for real-time personalization and removing the “one-size-fits-all” approach that has long frustrated patients. The result is an experience people want to return to—and recommend to others.
The goal is to design systems and processes where every interaction feels effortless. From the parking deck to the patient portal, every step should be intuitive, efficient, and aligned to the individual’s preferences. In an AI-powered world, organizations can now anticipate patient needs, remove bottlenecks in real time, and tailor experiences on the spot. For Andy, it’s the core of modern healthcare marketing.
AI Agents: Your New Digital Colleague
That drive toward seamless experiences is why Andy is all-in on AI “agents”—autonomous software that can navigate systems, pull data, and complete transactions without human intervention. Forget waiting on hold or clicking through endless menus. These agents can book appointments, populate spreadsheets, complete compliance training (whoa), and more, all in minutes. In healthcare, this means patients get faster service, marketing teams save time, and digital interactions become truly frictionless from start to finish.
Is This the End of Websites as We Know Them?
Andy predicts a near-future where websites are no longer the primary tool for transactions—they could simply serve as content hubs. Take booking a flight for example: If your AI agent can talk directly to Delta’s AI agent to book a flight, why would you ever visit delta.com? The same logic applies to healthcare. In that world, appointments, refills, and other calls to action could happen agent-to-agent, bypassing traditional navigation entirely. Marketing teams will need to rethink SEO, content distribution, and even the role of the homepage in a patient’s journey.
Building a Hyper-Personalized Patient Journey
To make every interaction seamless and personalized, no matter the channel, whether a patient connects via text, web chat, phone, WhatsApp, or in person, the system adapts, and Andy sees a way in. This is powered by a central customer data platform (CDP) integrated with AI, enabling real-time personalization and eliminating the “one-size-fits-all” approach that has long frustrated patients. The result is an experience people want to return to and recommend to others.
Why This Matters
The future of healthcare marketing is already here, driven by the rise of AI agents, the evolution of websites, and the prioritization of patient experience above all else. Organizations that embrace these shifts will be able to turn every interaction—digital or physical—into an opportunity for connection and trust. They’ll understand that the website of tomorrow is less about clicks and shaped by conversations between intelligent systems. And they’ll recognize that the real product isn’t only a service or treatment, but the frictionless, personalized journey that makes patients want to return and refer others. In healthcare marketing, the winners won’t only be those with the newest tools—they’ll be the ones using them to make the experience faster, easier, and more human.
If a patient’s AI could handle their entire healthcare interaction without visiting your website, would you be ready?
Contact our BPD team at nonormal@bpdhealthcare.com to start building the future of your patient experience.
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