New Research: Patients Trust Their Doctor’s AI Agents 3x More Than Public AI

That readiness is driven by daily frustration with a system that is not working. The administrative burden alone is already eroding patient trust and care adherence across health systems. Forty-six percent of patients delay care because the digital process is too confusing, and 58% delay or skip necessary care because scheduling is too difficult. Nearly half (49%) hang up after 10 minutes on hold with a doctor's office to seek care elsewhere or avoid it altogether. Two in three (66%) have run out of medication waiting for a prescription refill to be approved. And 90% say they wish their primary doctor was automatically notified after an emergency room visit - an expectation of basic coordination that current systems routinely fail to meet.

When it comes to AI specifically, patients' top concerns center on accuracy and data privacy. Thirty-six percent cite accuracy of diagnosis or treatment as their primary worry, while 30% point to the privacy and security of their health data.

And where the AI comes from matters enormously. Patients are three times more likely to trust an AI agent integrated directly into their doctor's secure portal than one available through a public chatbot or general health site - a clear signal that institutional accountability and provider context are central to acceptance.

Tyler Bauer of UChicago Medicine, a leading academic medical center delivering care to millions of patients across the Chicago region, highlighted how providers are echoing this consumer demand:

"Trust and transparency are at the foundation of patient experience. We're not going to compromise on that. Patients need to know (they must know) that their information is protected and that an escalation to a live agent is always available to them."

They also want reassurance that a real person is always within reach, and that access is a prerequisite for trust. Eighty-nine percent say a clear "escalate to human" option is essential for trusting AI-based administrative support, while 90% expect the same for AI medical support. And 91% say patients should have the right to opt out of AI-driven clinical recommendations entirely.

"When AI is built on a unified, governed data foundation, it earns trust where the stakes are highest. Clinicians can see how decisions were made. Patients can act on recommendations that show their work, cite their sources, and connect the dots across the full care journey. That's the transparent AI healthcare has been waiting for." - Amit Khanna, SVP & GM, Agentforce Health, Salesforce

Patients are clear: Efficiency without accountability isn't enough

For healthcare organizations, the message from this research is consistent: Patients are ready to embrace agentic AI but only when it is built on transparent, governed foundations with clear escalation paths, audit trails, and provider-backed deployment. That is precisely what Salesforce has built: AI that earns trust because it is governed, explainable, and always connected to a human when it matters most. Learn how to bring Agentforce into your healthcare organization.

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About the research:

The Salesforce Connected Health Consumer Report surveyed 3,200 adults across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand from March 24-April 10, 2026. All respondents are health consumers ages 18 and older. Full methodology available in the report appendix.