Have you ever repeated a word so much that it seems to lose its meaning for a moment? There’s a term for that phenomenon — semantic satiation. CNN published a piece that declared that excessive use of “thoughts and prayers” has robbed it of any meaning. They went on to say that it has become a phrase more likely to be used cynically. The “thoughts and deductibles” responses to Brian Thompson’s murder seems to take this cynicism a dark step further.

I’m nominating another word for inclusion in that category: trust.

In healthcare, experts recommend standards of care, but influencers disagree. Decades of studies say something is safe, but others aren’t always convinced. When it comes to health information, consumers don’t know who to trust. I’m not sure that we even know what that word means anymore.

Can you measure trust in healthcare?

If you pull up the Forbes list of Most Trusted Companies in America, none of the biggest names in healthcare are on it. In the Health Care Equipment & Services category, the companies mostly provide technology and, as the name suggests, equipment. There’s one inpatient rehabilitation facility and one insurance company on the list, which given the state of that industry, is remarkable. According to Forbes, the most trusted company in America makes computer parts and multimedia software. 

Look a little deeper at the Forbes methodology and it’s clear that it was never going to include healthcare in a serious way. To be on the list a company needs:

• Employee trust demonstrated by positive reviews on Glassdoor
• Investor trust as indicated by performance on the stock market
• Media trust with mostly positive media coverage
• Consumer trust shown in survey results^*

Very few hospitals and physician practices are publicly traded, and mainstream media coverage pales in comparison to computer brands, for example. Moreover, healthcare is mainly local. Our clients build their brand and reputation on their presence in the community. They foster trust primarily through providing medical excellence, compassionate care, being fair and supportive employers, and contributing to the community. That said, the data we see points to diminishing trust in American healthcare.

What’s eroding trust in healthcare providers?

1. Social media, or rather misinformation that’s pervasive in social media.

Nearly 40% of Gen Z men don’t have a primary care provider as a source of informed decisions, and 33% of them go to social media for health information. At the same time, 80% of Gen Z say they’ve encountered false or misleading health information online.

The Washington Post published an article about probiotics written by a gastroenterologist who is also a professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Pasricha pointed out that recommending probiotics is rarely the standard of care, and yet it’s a billion-dollar industry. On YouTube, there is a seemingly endless stream of videos with a positive outlook on probiotics, which are made by amateurs, not experts. Probiotics are only the tip of the iceberg — there are hundreds of other health topics and trends promoted by enthusiastic amateurs on social media.

2. It’s five years later, but we’re still feeling the effects of the pandemic.

A recent study looked at a 50-state survey of adults in the U.S. conducted in 24 waves. Results showed that between April 2020 and January 2024, trust in physicians and hospitals plummeted from 71% to 40%. And people with lower levels of trust were less likely to have been vaccinated for COVID-19. Similarly, trust has fallen in institutions of national health, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

3. Insurance companies have some responsibility for eroding trust in the provider-patient relationship.

As healthcare costs continue to rise, insurance companies vow to help lower healthcare costs and reduce unnecessary healthcare spending. Increased administrative burden is cutting into the time that healthcare providers could spend treating patients. According to a survey by the American Hospital Association (AHA), “more than 80% of physicians said insurance practices and policies affect their ability to practice medicine.”

For consumers, the message from insurers is that hospitals and physicians are charging too much and ordering care they don’t need. In the same AHA survey, 83% of patients wanted their provider, not their insurer, to determine their care plan. Over 60% of patients said their care was delayed due to prior authorization requirements. Over 40% of people whose care was delayed feel their health has suffered as a result. There’s no place for uncertainty or suspicion in the provider-patient relationship. You can learn more about fact and fiction in managed care in this report from my colleagues. 

Are there trusted healthcare brands?

There absolutely are. These trusted healthcare brands are widely known for excellence in clinical outcomes and for innovative research. But, as I said earlier, healthcare is still most often delivered locally. Which explains why despite slipping levels of trust in “hospitals and physicians” overall, trust in individual doctors remains high. When asked, 85% of people said they trust their own doctor to make the right recommendations.

How can healthcare marketers build trust?

Reclaim your place as the go-to source for health information.

Not only is this good for your existing patients, but it’s good for your overall brand. About 80% of internet users look for health information online. So, why not direct your patients to online health information written by providers they already know?

Consider creating a repository of educational content that’s easy to read and has clear next steps. If it’s written in question-and-answer format, that’s even better. As search technology evolves, it’s becoming more interactive, like having a conversation with your virtual assistant. AI technology is primed to find content that responds directly to questions users are asking. Creating content in this way ensures that you, the actual expert, are what’s returned in the search results for Google’s AI overview — not Reddit or Quora.

After all, Reddit, the Internet’s largest message board, didn’t enter into a deal with Google and OpenAI without reason. It now licenses its content for AI training. Meanwhile, the popular Q&A forum, Quora, utilizes Google Cloud and Vertex AI to power its AI chat platform Poe.

Be present in your communities.

Healthcare organizations serve vital roles in the community. They support people as they strive to live healthier lives and provide life-saving care when needed. But they’re also large employers and supporters of community health initiatives.

Watch for outreach opportunities, like:

• Health screenings as part of awareness month activities
• Sponsorships for health-related events, like 5k runs and walks
• Educational spots in local newspapers and on TV

Make person-to-person connections.

As I mentioned, the public retains a high degree of trust in individual providers. So, where it makes sense, amplify the voices of your providers. Not only are they providing excellent care, but their lives are also entwined with the communities they serve.

Well-crafted patient success stories can be compelling, and don’t be shy about asking for reviews. The majority of consumers now consult online reviews before choosing a new provider.

Include trust as a measure of brand performance.

“Trust is a prerequisite for loyalty — customers rarely become loyal without first establishing trust. While loyalty can be fleeting with insurance coverage or provider availability, trust endures as the stabilizing force in patient relationships” — Art Angel, President & Founder, E2A Partners

When you’re measuring the effectiveness of your brand, how do you measure something like trust? Start by recognizing that there are rational measures and emotive measures. How often you communicate with patients during care is something you can measure objectively. Whether or not those communications indicate care and concern is subjective.

As you connect with patients to measure satisfaction, be sure to include both hard and soft measurements that speak to trust and loyalty. By all means, ask whether patients find it easy to get an appointment. But also ask whether they feel listened to and understood while receiving care.   

Final thoughts

It seems right to end a piece on the importance of building trust with a caution about what happens when you lose it. As Warren buffet famously said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

Your brand is more than what you say about yourself. True, it’s threaded through your messaging and your marketing. But it’s also how you interact with your patients and how you appear in your community. These things affect your reputation and become fodder for online conversations:

• The empathy and humanity you show during patient interactions
• Your commitment to innovative research and the quality of your clinical outcomes
• Which insurers you choose to participate with and how easy it is to get an appointment

If your brand and your reputation are in disharmony, you will struggle to build lasting trust. At best, online conversations will be unfettered, but in the worst case, they’ll undermine your existing branding and marketing efforts.

Enjoy this clip of Ted Lasso having a moment of semantic satiation with the word “plan.”  

^* Consumer surveys measured “consumer sentiment regarding companies’ brands and products, social stances, treatment of employees and community support.”

Unlock Health is the largest and most awarded marketing and advertising agency exclusively focused on U.S. healthcare providers. Deep expertise in the business of healthcare allows our full-service agency to blend bold creative with data-driven insights to connect consumers with care and make great work easier for our clients.