Run a Google search for “best orthopedic surgeon near Denver” or “best dermatologist near Chicago,” and you may see something familiar: a short list of local providers with ratings, descriptions, and other details. Look a little closer, though, and that shortlist may not be the traditional Google local 3-pack.
Google is experimenting with local business recommendations inside AI Overviews and AI Mode, creating what search experts have started calling an “AI local pack.”
In May 2025, Search Engine Roundtable reported that, for some “near me” searches, Google was testing an AI Overview in place of the traditional local pack. Since then, local search experts have continued to spot pack-like results inside Google’s AI experiences.
Notably, the AI local pack isn’t an official Google product name, and there’s no indication that the 3-pack is disappearing altogether. But the way patients discover and compare nearby providers is changing.
What Is Google’s AI Local Pack?
For years, local search has been easy to spot. A patient searches “best cardiologist near me,” and Google typically returns a map and a short list of nearby organizations, often with three prominent results. This is the traditional local 3-pack, also known as the local or map pack.
Google says these local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. Reviews matter here, too, and they’ve long played a role in local search rankings. Google specifically notes that more reviews and positive ratings can help an organization’s local ranking, but AI Overviews are adding another layer to the equation.
Now, users may see a 3-pack style set of provider listings generated inside the AI Overview itself.
How the AI Local Pack Differs From the Traditional Local Pack
A Whitespark study found that traditional local packs appeared for 93% of local-intent searches, while AI Overviews showed up for just 15%. The pattern changed dramatically as search queries became more specific: AI Overviews appeared for 92% of informational-intent queries and 97% of hybrid-intent queries.
In other words, a straightforward search like “cardiologist near me” may still produce the familiar map and local listings. But a patient searching “best cardiologist near me for AFib” or “how much does a cardiology consultation cost in Denver?” is asking Google to do more than locate nearby options. They’re asking it to interpret the question, compare what it finds, and narrow the options to specific recommendations.
Local search expert Joy Hawkins reported in June 2026 that Sterling Sky’s tracking found AI-powered local packs often featured just one or two businesses instead of three. They also showed different businesses than the traditional 3-pack. Across 322 markets analyzed, 88% had fewer unique businesses appear in AI local packs than in traditional local packs. And because AI Overviews can appear above the traditional local pack, patients may encounter an AI-generated answer before they reach the familiar map results.
For healthcare organizations, the takeaway is to think beyond a single set of search results. Strong traditional local rankings still matter, but organizations also need to make it easy for Google to understand who their providers are, where they practice, what they treat, and what patients say about them across the sources AI may consult.
What Information Does Google Use for AI-Generated Local Results?
There’s another important difference between the traditional local search experience and an AI-generated one: where Google gets the information it uses.
Google Business Profiles Are Only One Source
Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may use a “query fan-out” technique, conducting multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources to develop a response. That means Google can draw on information from a business’s own website in addition to third-party sources across the web. For healthcare organizations, those third-party sources can include physician directories and review sites that contain provider bios, specialties, locations, ratings, and patient feedback.
Search Engine Land corroborated this, highlighting that local AI results draw from business websites alongside third-party sources such as Yelp and Reddit. More recently, Search Engine Roundtable documented local AI results in which Google used third-party listicles to generate descriptions of the businesses being recommended.
Why Accurate Provider Information Matters More in AI Search
According to rater8’s 2026 Patient Choice Report:
- 47% of patients said they had used AI to research healthcare providers.
- 66% said they had encountered incorrect provider information from an AI tool.
- 60% said they still trusted the AI summary without checking elsewhere.
That means an incorrect phone number, outdated office location, or inaccurate hours could become part of the answer Google presents to a prospective patient.
Business Insider recently reported that inaccurate AI summaries are creating problems for businesses across industries, including healthcare, where Google AI Overviews mixed up businesses, relied on outdated information, or combined information from multiple sources into misleading summaries.
What Healthcare Organizations Can Do Now
None of these changes mean healthcare organizations should abandon the local search fundamentals that got them ranking in the first place. Google says the same foundational SEO practices remain relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode.
What is changing is the number of platforms and tools that can influence what a patient sees. That makes a few familiar search fundamentals even more important.
Keep Google Business Profiles Complete and Current
Start with the information closest to the organization. Regularly review Google Business Profiles for accurate names, addresses, phone numbers, hours, categories, website links, and other key details.
For organizations with multiple providers and locations, that also means making sure patients can easily tell which provider practices where.
Make Provider Pages More Useful
A patient searching “urologist near me” and a patient searching “best urologist near me for stone disease” are asking different questions.
Provider and service pages should give search engines enough information to understand those differences. Clearly describe specialties, conditions treated, procedures offered, locations, credentials, and other details that help patients determine whether a provider fits what they’re looking for.
The goal isn’t to create a page for every possible AI query, but to make the information patients need clear, specific, and easy to find.
Keep Provider Information Consistent Across the Web
Google isn’t limited to the information on a healthcare organization’s website or Google Business Profile. Directories, review sites, and other third-party sources also contribute to the information patients encounter.
Audit those sources regularly for outdated locations, phone numbers, specialties, provider names, or other discrepancies. The more consistently those sources describe a provider, the clearer the picture they present.
Continue Building Your Review Presence
Reviews remain an important part of traditional local search, and Google specifically notes that more reviews and positive ratings can help local rankings.
A steady stream of authentic patient feedback also helps prospective patients understand what it’s actually like to receive care from your organization. Continue asking for reviews consistently, monitor what patients are saying, and respond so patients know you’re listening.
Build Visibility Everywhere Patients Are Searching
For healthcare organizations, accurate provider information, consistent listings, and a strong review presence are interconnected parts of the same search strategy. If those sources don’t tell a consistent, credible story, AI tools won’t either.
That’s the problem that raVE, the rater8 Visibility Engine, is built to address. raVE brings review generation, reputation management, AI readiness, and provider and location listings into one platform. Listings management keeps organization and provider information synchronized across 60+ directories, while raVE helps healthcare organizations continually build the authentic patient feedback that strengthens their reputation wherever patients are searching.
Improve your visibility in AI-driven search.
See how raVE keeps your reputation, listings, and patient feedback aligned so patients see a consistent story everywhere they search.
