How GLP-1s, AI are changing the way consumers interact with healthcare

New EY research shows US consumers taking health decisions into their own hands via AI healthcare tools and their pursuit of GLP-1s

In brief

• US consumers are using information from AI tools and search engines to request new tests or prescriptions, delay care and self-diagnose. 
• While the majority of GLP-1 users obtained prescriptions through a health professional, many are turning to fully online providers or informal sources. 
• Health organizations will need to shift from episodic, reactive treatment to continuous proactive relationships as consumers see more options. 

Roughly 230 million people every week are asking health-related questions on ChatGPT.¹ The EY US Consumer Health Survey 2026 finds that consumers are also finding ways to circumvent the traditional healthcare system to obtain GLP-1 weight-loss medication by nontraditional means. These moves signal to health leaders how consumer interactions with the care delivery system may be shifting. They also raise questions around consumer comfort and if consumers will be more comfortable with direct-to-consumer or non-traditional sources.

How AI healthcare tools and digital health tools are changing care delivery

EY research suggests consumers are taking a more confident role in interacting with healthcare providers based on what they learn from AI or online searches. Consider this: 75% of US respondents say they have requested or would consider requesting a test, treatment or prescription based on information they obtained from search engines; 55% say the same for information they learned from AI, surpassing social media (48%) as a driver of action.

Most get GLP-1s through traditional healthcare routes, but many are turning to new sources

While the majority of US respondents to the EY survey obtained GLP-1 prescriptions through their health professional (57%), a sizable segment is getting GLP-1s from nontraditional sources, such as a fully online consumer platform (23%), a weight management program (22%), or an informal source such as friends or family (19%). 

Consumers who stick with their usual prescription from a healthcare provider tend to be female, older than 50 and with a chronic disease. Those who opt for a fully online provider skew younger than 50 and male.  

Those getting GLP-1s through traditional channels are more likely to have had negative experiences with AI: a full 100% of those who receive their medication through a healthcare professional had a negative encounter with AI tools. Contrast this to those who secured GLP-1s through non-traditional means: fewer than 30% reported having had bad AI interactions.

While nearly 60% of non-GLP-1 users trust that their health professionals give them accurate advice, only 17% of GLP-1 users agreed with that statement. This finding may signal a widening trust chasm between healthcare traditionalists who continue to defer to doctors as their primary source of truth, and more digitally-savvy, skeptical consumers open to online and informal ways of meeting their healthcare needs. 

While digital channels are making it easier to access treatment quickly or to get around denials, users who receive prescriptions through a healthcare professional show somewhat lower rates of discontinuation. Globally, those who get GLP-1 prescriptions through the traditional pathway are less likely to be lapsed GLP-1 users (41%) versus those who sourced through online providers (47% discontinued use) and informal channels (49%), suggesting stronger follow-through when a professional is part of the process.

Health leaders must push forward on the path to the future of health in 2040

Healthcare consumers have more information than ever before and more options to circumvent the traditional healthcare system. Will they grow more comfortable with asserting themselves and turning outside the health system? Still other groups feel inundated with a flood of health information and report struggles with knowing what digital sources to trust. The deluge of available data creates stress for some, as 47% of US respondents who track their health data feel inundated, compared with 31% who do not track. 

Legacy models cannot offer the care experience that consumers seek. Health organizations have an opportunity to determine strategies for these different consumer personas to improve health and wellness. And there is a clear future model that can address all segments. But it will require bold leadership and diligent execution of a future-ready care delivery model that is grounded in three pillars:

1. Citizen-enabled. 

This involves moving from episodic, reactive treatment of illness to continuous proactive support that reflects the reality of how people live their lives. It considers the system around them, including caregivers, friends and family who also may need to help navigate the system. Instead of being overwhelmed by data, health systems and patients will be driven by data insights that move them toward personalized pathways. Trust continues to be even more critical in this new paradigm. 

“In the future care model, citizens are active partners in their own health and wellbeing. Knowledge is shared, not held. Prevention is personal. And the system works continuously in the background - not waiting for you to get sick, but helping you stay well,” said Dr. Ronan Glynn, leader of the EY Future of Health program.

2. Care is within reach of the patient wherever they are. 

The system shifts from hospitals dominating delivery by default to always-on support from diverse providers, enabled by wearables and sensors. Consumers no longer wait for disconnected appointments or for their condition to worsen to seek care. Care is delivered where and when the consumer needs it with a focus on prevention. But leaders will need to chart that path forward, sharing a clear vision to bring along all stakeholders to envision that future, from policymakers to patients and clinicians.

“As AI becomes a front door to health information, health organizations need to recognize that digital influence no longer stops at awareness; it is shaping how people seek treatment and access care,” said Kim Dalla Torre, EY Global and Americas Health Leader. “The data also shows why safe access and follow-up matter, especially as new therapies like GLP-1s are accessed through digital and nontraditional channels. Health organizations can reduce risk and improve outcomes by pairing that convenience with clear guardrails, verified information and proactive care support.”

3. Integrated to focus on outcomes.

Current models are broken and health leaders can’t continue pouring resources into systems that don’t keep people healthy. The system must move from fragmented, activity-driven inputs to integrated systems focused on outcomes. “We should start with the invisibility of the system so the health system will be a continuous relationship between patients and providers and not a set of disconnected episodes as they are now,” said Jordi Piera-Jiménez, CEO at openEHR International. 

Health systems and consumers are collecting reams of data; the key will be not allowing systems and patients to be overwhelmed by it. Future-ready health systems will integrate data systems to extract powerful insight to drive toward preventive, personalized care pathways.