B2B Healthcare Marketing: 40+ Statistics and Trends Marketers Should Know for 2026

B2B healthcare marketing is only getting more competitive.

2026 isn't the year to play catch-up.

We're talking tighter data privacy laws, smarter personalization, and AI tools changing how we operate.

Rising costs, longer sales cycles, and increased buyer skepticism are making every move more critical.

Success will come down to making data-driven decisions at every step.

These statistics will show you where the market is heading — and how to stay in front of it.

U.S. healthcare digital ad spending reached $24.77 billion in 2025 — a 13.3% jump from the year before (eMarketer, October 2025)

Healthcare is one of the highest-spending industries in digital advertising.

And the gap between digital and traditional is widening fast.

eMarketer's October 2025 report confirmed that U.S. healthcare and pharma digital ad spend grew 13.3% year-over-year, reaching $24.77 billion.

CTV, paid social, and search are eating up the largest share of those budgets.

If you're a B2B healthcare brand still debating whether digital deserves your attention, this should settle it.

Your competitors have already made the call.

71.4% of physicians' practices used telehealth in 2024 — up from just 25.1% in 2018 (AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, November 2025)

That's not a trend. That's a structural shift.

The AMA surveyed thousands of physicians as part of their 2024 Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, published in November 2025.

In 2018, 1 in 4 practices used telehealth.

Today, it's nearly 3 in 4.

Psychiatry leads all specialties — 85.9% of psychiatrists provided video visits in the prior week.

If your product serves any clinical or administrative workflow, the market for virtual care is not coming. It's already here.

The global telehealth market was worth $123.26 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $455.27 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research, 2024)

That's a compound annual growth rate of 24.68%.

To put it in perspective: the entire market is expected to nearly quadruple in six years.

Grand View Research tracks this across outpatient, inpatient, and store-and-forward delivery methods across all major global regions.

The growth isn't just about COVID-era habits sticking around.

It's about infrastructure catching up — better broadband, stronger reimbursement frameworks, and patient demand for convenience.

For healthcare SaaS, this is the tailwind you want your content strategy building into.

66% of physicians used health AI in 2024 — up from 38% in 2023 (American Medical Association, 2024)

That's a 78% year-over-year increase.

The AMA tracks AI adoption in physician practices as part of their ongoing research into the future of healthcare.

And the 2024 numbers show adoption isn't cautious anymore.

It's accelerating.

68% of those same physicians said they recognize AI's advantages in patient care — up from 63% in 2023.

If you're selling into healthcare and not weaving AI capabilities into your content and messaging, you're missing the dominant conversation happening in your buyer's mind right now.

84% of patients check online reviews before choosing a new healthcare provider (rater8, February 2025)

This is from rater8's "How Patients Choose Their Doctors" survey, conducted in December 2024 with 1,008 U.S. adult patients.

It's not a fringe behavior anymore.

8 in 10 patients are Googling you before they call.

And 51% of those patients read at least six reviews before making a decision.

Even more telling: 40% said negative reviews caused them to cancel an appointment or stop a care plan entirely.

Your online reputation isn't just a nice-to-have. It's an active part of your patient acquisition funnel.

61% of patients now prioritize online reviews over personal referrals from friends and family (rater8, February 2025)

Word-of-mouth used to be the most powerful channel in healthcare.

That's changing.

rater8's 2025 survey found that patients are now more influenced by public reviews than by what their friends recommend.

The shift makes sense: public reviews offer more volume, diversity of experience, and filters like star rating and recency.

But here's the challenge — 57% of patients rarely or never leave reviews on their own.

The providers winning the review game aren't hoping patients remember to write something.

They're prompting them automatically and making it easy.

61% of B2B buyers prefer a completely rep-free buying experience (Gartner, 2025)

Healthcare is a high-trust, high-touch buying environment.

But your buyers are still people.

And people don't want to talk to a rep until they're ready.

Gartner's 2025 research makes this clear: the majority of B2B buyers want to self-educate, compare options, and form opinions before engaging with sales.

This means your content isn't just a marketing play.

It's doing sales work for you before your rep ever gets on a call.

Your BoFu pages, comparison content, and product-led articles are the reps your buyers are talking to first.

70% of U.S. consumers now use health technology — wearables, apps, and patient portals — at least monthly (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey)

PwC surveyed 4,030 U.S. adults from June to July 2025, weighted to be representative of the U.S. Census population.

The number tells you where your audience lives between appointments.

They're not passive patients waiting for their next visit.

They're tracking data, managing their care, and forming opinions about healthcare providers based on digital experiences.

Gen Z is pushing this even further — 79% of Gen Z adults use health tech monthly.

For marketers, the implication is clear: digital channels aren't supplementary. They're primary.

76.1% of healthcare marketers plan to increase social media spending for HCP engagement in 2025 (MM+M/Swoop Healthcare Marketers Trend Report, 2025)

This is from MM+M and Swoop's annual Healthcare Marketers Trend Survey, published in 2025.

It covers pharma, biotech, and medical devices/diagnostics marketers.

The shift toward social for HCP engagement isn't subtle.

More than three-quarters of marketers are increasing investment.

And 77.4% of pharma-specific respondents are doing the same.

The reasoning: social media feels less like a brand ad and more like a conversation.

Clinicians are on LinkedIn, on YouTube, in Reddit threads.

If you want to reach them, you have to show up where they actually are.

51% of U.S. consumers agree the healthcare system is fundamentally broken — and 65% want prevention over treatment (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey)

This is the attitude shift reshaping everything.

More than half of American consumers don't trust the system to serve them well.

And nearly two-thirds are actively pushing for a model that keeps them healthy rather than treating them after the fact.

For B2B healthcare brands, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity.

The challenge: buyers are skeptical of health systems in general — and that skepticism bleeds into their vendor relationships.

The opportunity: brands that speak directly to prevention, efficiency, and patient outcomes have a real opening to resonate.

Especially when your content shows, not just tells, how your product improves outcomes.

Complete List of B2B Healthcare Marketing Statistics

Healthcare Digital Ad Spending

1. U.S. healthcare and pharma digital ad spending reached $24.77 billion in 2025, up 13.3% year-over-year. (eMarketer, October 2025)
2. Digital channels now capture over 72% of healthcare ad budgets in the U.S. (Statista, 2025)
3. 47.2% of healthcare marketers planned to increase their marketing budgets going into 2025. (Digital Silk / Survey Data, 2024–2025)
4. Paid digital advertising is the top channel by budget allocation among U.S. healthcare companies, at 12.5% of total marketing spend — followed by social media at 11.5%. (Digital Silk, 2025)
5. The global healthcare and pharma advertising market is approaching $44.56 billion in 2025. (Digital Silk, 2025)

Telehealth Growth and Adoption

6. The global telehealth market was valued at $123.26 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $455.27 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 24.68%. (Grand View Research, 2024)
7. 71.4% of physicians' practices used telehealth in 2024 — up from just 25.1% in 2018. (AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, November 2025)
8. Telehealth usage peaked at 79.0% during 2020 and has stabilized at 71.4% as of 2024. (AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, November 2025)
9. Psychiatrists lead all specialties in telehealth adoption — 85.9% provided video visits in the prior week as of 2024. (AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, November 2025)
10. Hospital-owned practices (73.5%) are more likely to use telehealth than private practices (58.3%). (AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, November 2025)

AI in Healthcare

11. 66% of physicians used health AI in 2024, up 78% from 38% in 2023. (American Medical Association, 2024)
12. 68% of physicians recognize AI's advantages in patient care — up from 63% in 2023. (American Medical Association, 2024)
13. The AI in healthcare market is valued at $21.66 billion in 2025 and projected to grow to $110.61 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 38.6%. (Grand View Research / Multiple Analysts, 2025)
14. 93% of healthcare and life science companies plan to invest more in AI in 2025. (Formstack Research / Industry Survey, 2025)
15. 72% of healthcare organizations cite reducing caregiver burden as their top AI deployment priority. (Industry Research, 2024–2025)
16. Healthcare and life science organizations have approximately 10 more AI models in production than the average organization in other sectors. (Formstack Research, 2025)

Patient Online Reviews and Behavior

17. 84% of patients check online reviews before choosing a new healthcare provider. (rater8 Patient Preferences Survey, February 2025, n=1,008)
18. 61% of patients prioritize online reviews over personal referrals from friends and family. (rater8 Patient Preferences Survey, February 2025)
19. 51% of patients read at least six reviews before making a healthcare provider decision. (rater8 Patient Preferences Survey, February 2025)
20. 40% of patients said negative reviews caused them to cancel an appointment or change course on a planned care visit. (rater8 Patient Preferences Survey, February 2025)
21. 57% of patients rarely or never leave reviews on their own — but 74% say they're likely to leave one when prompted. (rater8 Patient Preferences Survey, February 2025)
22. 26% of patients are considering switching their healthcare provider in 2025. (rater8 Patient Preferences Survey, February 2025)
23. 72% of patients say they would only consider a provider with an average rating of 4 stars or higher. (RepuGen Patient Review Survey, 2025)

B2B Healthcare Buyers

24. 61% of B2B buyers prefer a completely rep-free buying experience. (Gartner, 2025)
25. 92% of B2B buyers start their purchase process with at least one specific vendor already in mind — and 41% have a single preferred vendor from the start. (Forrester B2B Buyers Journey Survey, 2024, n=11,352)
26. 81% of B2B buyers initiate first contact with sellers — not the other way around. (6Sense Buyer Experience Report, 2024)
27. B2B buyers are typically 70% of the way through their decision-making process before they reach out to a vendor. (Forrester, 2024)
28. Millennials now make up 73% of all B2B buyers and account for 44% of final decision-makers. (LinkedIn B2B Buyer Report, 2025)
29. 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur through digital channels. (Gartner, 2025)

Healthcare Consumer Behavior and Expectations

30. 70% of U.S. consumers use health technology — including wearables, apps, and patient portals — at least monthly. (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey, n=4,030)
31. 79% of Gen Z adults use health technology monthly — the highest rate of any generation. (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey)
32. 65% of consumers want a healthcare system focused on prevention rather than treatment. (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey)
33. 51% of U.S. consumers agree the healthcare system is fundamentally broken. (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey)
34. 71% of Millennials and Gen X consumers say they're interested in AI-assisted diagnosis — as long as a physician reviews the results. (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey)
35. Only 57% of Gen Z adults trust their primary care physician as a source of health information, compared to 85% of Baby Boomers. (PwC 2025 US Health Consumer Insights Survey)

Healthcare Marketing Channels

36. 76.1% of healthcare marketers plan to increase social media investment for HCP engagement in 2025. (MM+M/Swoop Healthcare Marketers Trend Report, 2025)
37. The average email open rate for healthcare campaigns is 34.6%. (Mailchimp Industry Benchmarks, 2025)
38. The average email conversion rate in the healthcare industry is 2.6%. (Digital Silk / Industry Benchmark Data, 2025)
39. 70% of healthcare marketing executives say their organization has a content marketing strategy in place. (Digital Silk, 2025)
40. 72% of health system executives say investing in digital platforms is important for their organization's strategy. (Deloitte 2025 Global Health Care Executive Outlook)

Final Thoughts

B2B healthcare marketing is not what it was two years ago.

AI adoption among physicians has nearly doubled.

Telehealth has gone from a pandemic workaround to a structural part of how care is delivered.

And your buyers — whether they're CMOs, clinical directors, or procurement teams — are doing most of their research before they ever talk to you.

What this means for your strategy:

Your content has to do more of the selling upfront.

Your online reputation has to be actively managed, not passively maintained.

And your digital channels can't be an afterthought when 72%+ of marketing budgets are going online.

The brands that win in healthcare are the ones that understand this and build their marketing accordingly.