BPD Research Initiative
Healthcare consumers are changing. We're tracking it in real time.
Healthcare is at an inflection point. Margin pressure is intensifying. Consumer expectations are rising. Competitive forces are accelerating.
Yet most health systems are still operating on lagging indicators.
The BPD Research Initiative gives health systems an early view of the consumer behaviors shaping tomorrow’s healthcare market. Through recurring national surveys, we track how people make healthcare decisions, what influences their choices, and where expectations are evolving—turning consumer insight into growth intelligence.
We track the trends influencing healthcare decision-making, including:
- Care-seeking behavior
- Service line decision drivers
- Price sensitivity and financial confidence
- Digital and AI expectations
- Brand perception and loyalty dynamics
We translate these insights into actionable intelligence, helping health systems connect changing consumer behavior to growth strategy, access design, and market opportunity.
EXPLORE THE FINDINGS
Prompted: AI in the Care Decision
How AI is reshaping the healthcare decision journey
Ready or not, AI is part of how consumers understand symptoms, evaluate treatment options, prepare for provider visits, and make care decisions.
Drawing on 2026 findings from the BPD Research Initiative, our latest report reveals where AI is already influencing behavior, where trust still falls short, and how consumers want AI to fit into their healthcare experience.
The Patient Next Door
Meet the new healthcare consumer
This report draws on findings from the Q4 2025 wave to explore the forces reshaping healthcare decisions, from financial pressure and convenience-driven access to the growing influence of digital tools and healthcare communications. What emerges is a clear shift: consumers are taking a more active role in deciding when, where, and whether to seek care, often before engaging with providers — with significant impact to the financial sustainability of health systems.
