In our digital world, misinformation spreads faster than hot gossip in a high school cafeteria. People generally understand this, according to a new survey by Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust reveals that there is widespread skepticism about health information shared on social media. So, who do patients actually believe when it comes to their health?
RazorMetrics’ recent survey, The State of Drug Access 2025, found overwhelmingly that members place the highest level of trust in their physicians when it comes to healthcare decisions.
Taken together, the two surveys paint a clear picture. In RazorMetrics’ research, we see that physicians earn the highest trust score and KFF’s findings show that social media and influencers earn very little. So, doctors remain the most credible source of medical guidance, far outweighing other channels like insurance companies, pharmaceutical ads, or online forums.
Misinformation, Disinformation, and then Crazy “Information”
People may be endlessly doom-scrolling health tips online, but they are doing it skeptically. The KFF survey found that 55% of U.S. adults use social media for health information, but fewer than half say even some of that information is trustworthy. Only 8% believe most of what they see online can be trusted.
Younger adults may be slightly more willing to trust certain platforms. Fifty-four percent of 18–29 year-olds say they find at least some health information on TikTok credible, compared to 38% on Instagram and 42% on Reddit.
And influencers don’t fare well either. Only 14% of adults say they regularly get health advice from influencers; most assume those voices are motivated by money. Sixty-one percent said they believe influencers are financially driven, which is not the kind of trust that drives sound medical decisions.
In RazorMetrics’ State of Drug Access report, when asked who they trust most with their health, members overwhelmingly pointed to their physicians. Doctors earned far more trust than insurance companies, pharmacies, or anything else people might stumble across online.
Even when our digital world is awash with misinformation, disinformation, and sometimes just plain crazy “information,” physicians remain a trusted anchor. That’s why RazorMetrics built a solution that supports physician-directed prescribing. By aligning with the voices that members already trust, plan sponsors can cut through the noise, deliver clarity, and drive both better health outcomes and lower costs.
Implications for Employers and Health Plans
For plan sponsors, the takeaway is clear: if you want to influence better health outcomes and lower costs, put physicians at the center. Members trust them. That’s why RazorMetrics builds tools that support the physician-patient relationship in the clinic.
Bad health information online isn’t going away. But trust in physicians offers a reliable foundation. Trust can’t be manufactured on a social media feed. It’s earned in the exam room, in conversations between physicians and their patients. At RazorMetrics, we believe that’s where the future of affordable, effective care needs to stay. Because trust is the most valuable medicine.
Get in touch with us today to start your savings journey.
