This blog is part three of a four-part series. Check out part two to learn how data powers access in the age of AI.
In our last conversation, we talked about how your health system’s comprehensive provider and location data acts as the “invisible engine” powering your digital front door in the AI era. We discussed the “iceberg”—what patients see versus the vast, structured data that lies beneath. Now, let’s get a bit more technical and explore the data pipeline—thej journey of that data, from your internal systems all the way to the AI models that are reshaping patient access.
This journey is why we’re seeing a new terminology emerge: Generative Experience Optimization (GEO). Knowing how AI consumes information is no longer just for the tech team; it’s crucial for every healthcare marketer and leader to understand. Why? Because knowing how AI operates helps you ensure your health system’s trustworthy data is exactly what these powerful systems—from Google’s AI Overviews to Bing’s Copilot and Apple’s Siri—are using to guide patients to care.
The Data Pipeline: From Your Systems to AI’s Brain
At Kyruus Health, we’ve designed a precise, multi-stage engineering data pipeline to ensure your provider and location data is always AI-ready.
- Seamless Data Ingestion & Centralization: Our platform, Kyruus Connect, acts as a central intake, pulling raw data from all your disparate internal systems. Think EHRs, credentialing software, scheduling platforms, and even existing website directories. This is step one in establishing your “single source of truth” for provider and location information. We rigorously normalize and deduplicate this data, transforming it from fragmented pieces into a unified, accurate record for each provider and location.
- Data Enrichment & Structuring: This is where the magic really happens for AI. Within our platform, we transform that raw data into a rich, comprehensive dataset. This includes capturing details like precise specialties (e.g., “Interventional Cardiology” not just “Cardiology”), every condition treated, procedures performed, educational background, and even languages spoken. For locations, it means verified physical addresses, geo-coordinates, specific amenities (“on-site lab,” “wheelchair accessible”), and dynamic hours. Crucially, we link related entities—connecting a specific condition to the providers who treat it and the locations where that care is delivered.
- Real-Time API Integrations & Dynamic Schema Generation: To ensure data freshness and comprehensiveness, our platform leverages powerful API connections. These are the conduits for real-time, bi-directional data flow, pulling live information directly from your core systems (like EHRs for real-time appointment slots). This consistent data flow is paramount for AI. Then, our platform translates this rich, accurate data into Schema Markup (typically JSON-LD). This code is then embedded directly into the HTML of your public-facing pages—your provider profiles, service line pages, and location pages. Schema acts as a machine-readable “Rosetta Stone”. It explicitly tells AI: “This is a physician,” “Their specialty is Gastroenterology,” “They treat Crohn’s Disease,” or “This location has wheelchair accessible parking.” And vitally, it indicates when an appointment is available and can be booked.
AI’s Consumption: The Nuances of Different Platforms
Your structured data, once refined, doesn’t just sit there. It’s actively flows through the data pipeline and is consumed by various AI platforms, each with its own approach:
- Google AI Overviews (AIOs) & AI Mode: Google’s AI (powered by Gemini) directly synthesizes information from its vast web index. This includes highly structured data from your website (via Schema Markup) and, crucially, directly from your Google Business Profiles (GBP). For healthcare, 63% of healthcare queries have an AI Overview. Google’s strategic shift is clear: it’s moving from a “link engine” to an “answer engine,” providing direct, synthesized answers on the search results page, pushing traditional organic results down. While AI Overviews can provide brand awareness by citing sources, they can also reduce direct clicks to your website by nearly 35%. AI Mode takes it a step further, with a “fan-out” approach that continually dives deeper to seek more sources of content to keep the conversation going. So, the goal isn’t just to rank, but to be cited as a trusted source for AI.
- Bing / ChatGPT & Perplexity.ai: These platforms operate a bit differently. ChatGPT, integrated into Bing as Copilot, sends queries to Bing’s real-time search index. It then collects information from the top 20-30 organic search results (websites that rank well on Bing) and applies its own algorithms to synthesize a natural, conversational answer. This means that while chatbots like ChatGPT don’t directly access platforms like Google Business Profile or Bing Places, having a robust business profile indirectly ensures your accurate, structured data is seen and synthesized by these powerful AI chatbots. They heavily value structured, verifiable information found within those top-ranking web pages.
- Apple (Siri & Apple Maps): While not a traditional “search engine,” Apple deeply embeds AI into its ecosystem via Siri’s enhanced intelligence and Apple Maps data. Their focus is on delivering contextual, immediate information and driving actions directly within their native apps, leveraging your verified listing data.
Why This Technical Flow of the Data Pipeline Matters to Your Health System
This intricate data pipeline isn’t just about technical sophistication; it’s about tangible results for your health system.
- Visibility & Findability: By ensuring your data is structured and syndicated across all these platforms, you maximize your chances of appearing in AI Overviews, local map results, and conversational AI responses, making it easier for patients to find you.
- Accuracy & Trust: “Garbage In, Garbage Out” is a severe risk in healthcare. Inaccurate AI answers can be detrimental to patient safety and trust. Our meticulous data management ensures the AI is fed clean, verifiable information, which in turn builds your E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) signals – critical factors AI algorithms weigh heavily.
- Conversion & Action: Properly structured data, especially around availability and booking, allows for “zero-click” actions like direct appointment booking from Google. Even if patients don’t click through to your site, they’re taking direct action on the search results page.
Getting your data right and ensuring it reaches search engines accurately is essential. By teaming up with a solution that simplifies this intricate data pipeline process, your health system can confidently build its digital future, reach more patients, and provide an even better experience. It’s no longer just about SEO; it’s about Generative Experience Optimization (GEO).