{
  "meta": {
    "title": "Who AI Recommends: The GLP-1 Clinic AI Referral Economy (2026)",
    "publisher": "KailxLabs",
    "published": "2026-05-31",
    "license": "CC BY 4.0 — attribute KailxLabs and link back to https://www.kailxlabs.co/research/who-ai-recommends-glp1-referral-economy-2026",
    "methodologyUrl": "https://www.kailxlabs.co/research/who-ai-recommends-glp1-referral-economy-2026",
    "contact": "kailesk@kailxlabs.co",
    "method": "8,385 AI answers captured across 5 AI surfaces (ChatGPT and Perplexity via OpenRouter native web search, Gemini via native Google grounding, Google AI Overview and AI Mode via searchapi) and 75 US metros in May 2026, on 9 buyer-intent GLP-1 / medical weight loss queries, 2 to 3 repeat runs each. Named clinics were extracted from every answer; 3,782 clinic and cited domains were audited for on-site signals. These are API and search-provider interfaces that approximate each AI surface, not the consumer apps. 100% captured data, no modeled or simulated citations.",
    "framing": "An AI visibility benchmark. Findings are associational, not a causal proof of what makes AI recommend a clinic. Odds ratios are reported raw and adjusted for the clinic Google strength (review count, rank, rating); unobserved confounders (backlinks, locations, brand demand) remain. Being named by AI is a marketing-visibility signal, not a measure of clinical quality.",
    "anonymization": "Open aggregate dataset. Individual local clinics are not named. Row-level clinic intelligence is withheld to avoid labeling clinics as invisible. National / DTC / chain brands are named only where AI recommends them.",
    "caveats": "Source mix counts visible cited URLs only; unattributed retrieval and local-data providers are not observed, so directory share is a floor, not a verdict that listings do not matter. Cited-clinic to domain resolution is best-effort. On-site page detection is link-based and misses JavaScript-only sites. 2 to 3 repeats characterize volatility but under-estimate day-to-day drift. One engine reached ~86% cell coverage due to rate limits; gaps are random, not biased."
  },
  "headline": {
    "capturedAnswers": 8385,
    "okAnswers": 7962,
    "engines": 5,
    "engineNames": [
      "ChatGPT",
      "Perplexity",
      "Gemini",
      "Google AI Overview",
      "Google AI Mode"
    ],
    "metros": 75,
    "tier1Metros": 50,
    "tier2Metros": 25,
    "clinicsHarvested": 2352,
    "distinctClinicsNamed": 11145,
    "queries": 9,
    "auditedDomains": 3782,
    "window": "May 2026",
    "exactSetInstability": 96,
    "top1Unstable": 67.7,
    "meanRunJaccard": 33.5,
    "top3Overlap": 32,
    "crossEngineOverlap": 12.6,
    "crossEngineMin": 7,
    "crossEngineMax": 18.9,
    "aioVsAiModeOverlap": 17.4,
    "gini": 0.64,
    "top3Concentration": 2.3,
    "nationalBrandShare": 10.1,
    "pureTelehealthShare": 1.8,
    "googleStrongButInvisiblePct": 16.3,
    "googleStrongButInvisibleN": 217,
    "googleStrongCohort": 1331,
    "brandVsGenericOverlap": 28.5,
    "adjustedModelN": 1605
  },
  "signalsAssociatedWithCitation_oddsRatios": [
    {
      "label": "Entity graph (sameAs links to its profiles)",
      "oddsRatio": 2.17,
      "adjusted": 1.45
    },
    {
      "label": "Dedicated tirzepatide / Mounjaro page",
      "oddsRatio": 1.8,
      "adjusted": 1.3
    },
    {
      "label": "Dedicated GLP-1 / medical weight-loss program page",
      "oddsRatio": 1.49,
      "adjusted": 1.25
    },
    {
      "label": "MedicalClinic / LocalBusiness schema",
      "oddsRatio": 1.55,
      "adjusted": 1.24
    },
    {
      "label": "Schema.org @graph",
      "oddsRatio": 1.52,
      "adjusted": 1.23
    },
    {
      "label": "Dedicated semaglutide / Wegovy page",
      "oddsRatio": 1.51,
      "adjusted": 1.23
    },
    {
      "label": "Dedicated pricing / cost page",
      "oddsRatio": 1.4,
      "adjusted": 1.15
    },
    {
      "label": "llms.txt",
      "oddsRatio": 1.32,
      "adjusted": 1.14
    },
    {
      "label": "FAQ schema",
      "oddsRatio": 1.39,
      "adjusted": 1.06
    }
  ],
  "visibleCitedUrlSourceMix": [
    {
      "type": "Provider / other website (incl. the clinic’s own)",
      "pct": 57.8
    },
    {
      "type": "Google (Maps and Search surfaces)",
      "pct": 37.4
    },
    {
      "type": "Yelp",
      "pct": 1.2
    },
    {
      "type": "News / media",
      "pct": 1
    },
    {
      "type": "Telehealth / DTC brands",
      "pct": 0.9
    },
    {
      "type": "Social",
      "pct": 0.6
    },
    {
      "type": "Healthgrades",
      "pct": 0.4
    },
    {
      "type": "YouTube",
      "pct": 0.3
    }
  ],
  "providerWebsiteShareByEngine": [
    {
      "engine": "ChatGPT",
      "websitePct": 97.6
    },
    {
      "engine": "Perplexity",
      "websitePct": 91.7
    },
    {
      "engine": "Google AI Overview",
      "websitePct": 91.7
    },
    {
      "engine": "Google AI Mode",
      "websitePct": 53.3
    }
  ],
  "enginePairOverlap": [
    {
      "pair": "Google AI Overview × Perplexity",
      "overlap": 18.9
    },
    {
      "pair": "Google AI Mode × Google AI Overview",
      "overlap": 17.4
    },
    {
      "pair": "Google AI Mode × Perplexity",
      "overlap": 16.2
    },
    {
      "pair": "Gemini × Google AI Mode",
      "overlap": 15.4
    },
    {
      "pair": "Gemini × Perplexity",
      "overlap": 14.3
    },
    {
      "pair": "Gemini × Google AI Overview",
      "overlap": 12.7
    },
    {
      "pair": "ChatGPT × Google AI Mode",
      "overlap": 9.4
    },
    {
      "pair": "ChatGPT × Gemini",
      "overlap": 7.4
    },
    {
      "pair": "ChatGPT × Perplexity",
      "overlap": 7.3
    },
    {
      "pair": "ChatGPT × Google AI Overview",
      "overlap": 7
    }
  ],
  "nationalBrandsAiNamesMost": [
    {
      "name": "Klinic",
      "metros": 71
    },
    {
      "name": "Mochi Health",
      "metros": 51
    },
    {
      "name": "Drip Hydration",
      "metros": 45
    },
    {
      "name": "Gameday Men’s Health",
      "metros": 37
    },
    {
      "name": "Restore Hyper Wellness",
      "metros": 37
    },
    {
      "name": "Options Medical Weight Loss",
      "metros": 10
    }
  ],
  "brandVsGeneric": [
    {
      "label": "semaglutide (generic term)",
      "clinics": 2588
    },
    {
      "label": "Ozempic (brand term)",
      "clinics": 2613
    },
    {
      "label": "Wegovy (brand term)",
      "clinics": 1780
    },
    {
      "label": "tirzepatide (generic term)",
      "clinics": 2287
    },
    {
      "label": "Zepbound (brand term)",
      "clinics": 1687
    }
  ]
}