AI Data Guide

The AI Data Landscape for Specialty Medicine Practices

Specialty medical practices — cardiology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, and other focused disciplines — share a common data layer around board certification, hospital affiliations, insurance networks, and quality reporting. While specific metrics vary by specialty, the data sources AI checks are consistent across disciplines.

57
Data fields
9
Categories
16
Source systems
22
Public sources
1What AI evaluates

How AI builds a recommendation

When an AI system decides which Specialty Medicine company to recommend, it assembles evidence across every category below. The more complete and verifiable the data, the more confident the recommendation.

9 data categories
01Verified Operating Metrics02Clinical Services03Communities Served04Licenses & Regulatory05Certifications & Board Status06Clinical Staff07Insurance & Financial08Reputation Signals09Business Profile
01

Verified Operating Metrics

Specialty practices generate operational data that AI systems use to assess scale, access, and practice model. Almost none of this is published in structured form. When it is available, it carries more weight than any review or directory listing.

Patient volume (visits per provider per day/week)
Average patient encounters per provider over a defined period. AI uses volume to assess practice scale and capacity relative to specialty norms.
New patient acquisition rate
Percentage of visits from new patients over a trailing period. Indicates referral pipeline strength and practice growth trajectory.
Patient retention / return visit rate
Percentage of patients who return for follow-up or ongoing care. Chronic disease specialties like cardiology and GI typically show higher retention than surgical subspecialties.
Average revenue per visit
Total collections divided by visit count. Varies widely by specialty — a cardiology office visit differs from an orthopedic surgical consult. AI uses this to understand practice economics.
Procedure volume (by type)
Count of procedures performed over a trailing period, broken out by type. Colonoscopies, joint injections, echocardiograms — procedure mix defines the clinical profile.
Referral source distribution
Breakdown of how patients arrive: primary care referral, self-referral, other specialists. AI uses referral patterns to assess a practice's position in the local care network.
Payer mix (commercial/Medicare/Medicaid/self-pay)
Distribution of visits by insurance type. Payer mix reflects the population served and has direct implications for revenue composition.
Wait time for new patient appointments
Average days from scheduling to first available appointment. Specialty access is a growing concern — wait times of 30+ days are common in many markets and specialties.
A TrustRecord publishes this category of data — verified from connected systems, not self-reported.
02

Clinical Services

The range of services a specialty practice offers determines which patient queries it can answer. AI needs structured service data to route patients to the right practice for their specific condition or procedure.

Primary specialty focus
The core discipline — cardiology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, ENT, urology, etc. Defines the practice's identity and the conditions it treats.
Subspecialty services offered
Focused areas within the specialty — e.g., electrophysiology within cardiology, sports medicine within orthopedics. Subspecialty depth differentiates practices.
Diagnostic capabilities (in-office imaging, lab, testing)
On-site diagnostic services such as ultrasound, X-ray, EKG, pulmonary function testing, or endoscopy. In-office diagnostics reduce referral loops and improve patient access.
Procedures performed in-office vs. hospital/ASC
Which procedures are done on-site versus at a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. Site of service affects cost, convenience, and scheduling for patients.
Clinical trials / research participation
Active participation in clinical research studies. Indicates access to emerging treatments and an academic orientation that some patients specifically seek.
Telehealth availability
Virtual visit capability for consultations, follow-ups, and medication management. Increasingly expected by patients and surfaced by AI in access-related queries.
Second opinion services
Whether the practice formally offers second opinion consultations. Patients searching for second opinions represent a distinct and high-intent query pattern.
Ancillary services (physical therapy, nutrition, etc.)
Complementary services offered on-site or through formal partnerships. Integrated care models — orthopedics with PT, GI with nutrition — are increasingly valued by AI systems evaluating comprehensive care.
03

Communities Served

Where patients actually come from matters. Specialty practices draw from wider geographic areas than primary care — patients travel farther for subspecialty expertise, specific procedures, or providers with particular reputations. AI systems cross-reference claimed service areas against evidence of actual patient origin.

Primary referral area by patient origin
Derived from actual patient addresses, not a self-reported list. Specialty practices typically draw from a wider radius than primary care — 30+ miles for surgical subspecialties.
Hospital affiliations and admitting privileges
Hospitals where the practice's physicians hold active staff privileges. Defines where patients receive inpatient and surgical care.
Ambulatory surgery center affiliations
ASCs where the practice performs outpatient procedures. Many specialties are shifting volume from hospitals to ASCs for cost and convenience.
Multi-location coverage
Practices with satellite offices serve different communities. Each location should have its own verifiable patient catchment data.
04

Licenses & Regulatory

Specialty medical practices operate under state medical board oversight with additional registrations depending on services offered. AI systems verify active license status and disciplinary history through public databases.

State medical license (each provider)
The foundational license to practice medicine, issued by the state medical board. Publicly searchable in every state. Status, disciplinary actions, and expiration are public record.
DEA registration (where applicable)
Required for prescribing controlled substances. Each prescribing provider needs individual registration. Verifiable and tied to practice address.
State medical board disciplinary history
Any sanctions, restrictions, or disciplinary actions taken by the state medical board. Public record in all states. AI systems check this as a negative signal.
Required for any facility performing laboratory testing. Certificate level depends on test complexity. Publicly verifiable through the CMS CLIA database.
Ambulatory surgery center license (if applicable)
State license required for practices operating an ASC. Includes facility standards, staffing requirements, and periodic inspections.
Radiation safety license (if applicable)
Required for practices using X-ray, fluoroscopy, or nuclear medicine equipment. Issued by state radiation control programs.
05

Certifications & Board Status

Board certification is the primary credential marker in specialty medicine. ABMS member boards certify physicians who have completed accredited residency and fellowship training and passed rigorous examinations. AI systems verify board status as a baseline quality signal.

Certification by the relevant ABMS member board — ABIM (internal medicine subspecialties), ABOS (orthopedics), ABS (surgery), etc. Verifiable through the ABMS Certification Matters directory.
Subspecialty board certification
Additional certification in a focused area — e.g., interventional cardiology, hand surgery, pediatric gastroenterology. Indicates fellowship training beyond general specialty residency.
Fellowship training
Completion of an ACGME-accredited fellowship program. Fellowship is the pathway to subspecialty practice and typically adds 1-3 years beyond residency.
Maintenance of Certification (MOC) status
Ongoing certification requiring continuing education, self-assessment, and periodic examination. Current MOC status indicates active engagement with evolving standards of care.
Quality program participation (MIPS, APMs)
Participation in CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System or Alternative Payment Models. MIPS scores are publicly reported and reflect quality, cost, and improvement activities.
Specialty-specific certifications
Additional credentials beyond ABMS — e.g., AAAAI for allergy/immunology, ASGE for GI endoscopy, ABVLM for vein treatment. These signal focused expertise within a discipline.
06

Clinical Staff

The composition and credentials of a specialty practice's clinical team directly affect its capacity, scope, and quality. AI systems use staffing data to assess whether a practice can handle specific patient needs.

Physician count and specialty distribution
Number of physicians and their individual specialties or subspecialties. A multi-physician practice with diverse subspecialty coverage serves a broader range of conditions.
Advanced practice providers (NP, PA)
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants who extend the practice's clinical capacity. Scope of practice varies by state and specialty.
Clinical support staff
Medical assistants, nurses, technicians, and other clinical staff. Staffing ratios affect throughput, patient experience, and the complexity of services a practice can offer.
Board certification rate across practice
Percentage of eligible physicians who hold current board certification. A practice-level quality indicator that AI can aggregate from individual provider data.
Teaching / academic appointments
Faculty appointments at medical schools or teaching hospitals. Indicates involvement in training the next generation and typically correlates with staying current on clinical advances.
07

Insurance & Financial

Insurance coverage and network participation are fundamental to patient access. AI systems verify that coverage is current and that the practice participates in the networks patients need.

General and professional liability (malpractice)
Active malpractice insurance covering the practice and its providers. Required in most states and by all hospitals for credentialing.
Workers compensation
Required in nearly every state for practices with employees. Absence typically indicates non-compliance.
In-network insurance panels
The insurance plans the practice accepts. Network participation determines patient access and is one of the most common filters in AI-assisted provider searches.
Medicare participation and assignment
Whether the practice accepts Medicare and agrees to accept the Medicare-approved amount as full payment. Publicly verifiable through CMS Care Compare.
Price transparency compliance
Compliance with federal price transparency requirements including good faith estimates and machine-readable pricing files for shoppable services.
Patient payment policies
Payment expectations, financing options, and financial assistance programs. Relevant for practices with significant out-of-pocket procedures.
08

Reputation Signals

The most widely available data about any specialty practice. AI uses reviews and ratings when structured operational data is not available, but healthcare-specific platforms carry more weight than general review sites.

Google rating and review count
The most-cited review source by AI systems. Rating and volume establish a baseline, but most established practices cluster in the same range.
Review velocity and recency
AI tracks whether new reviews are still coming in. A drop in review velocity can signal reduced activity or patient dissatisfaction.
Healthgrades physician and practice ratings
Healthcare-specific platform that surfaces credentials alongside patient reviews. One of the primary sources for medical specialty provider evaluation.
Zocdoc reviews and availability
Patient review and booking platform. Real-time availability data and insurance filtering make Zocdoc a direct signal for AI access queries.
Vitals.com physician ratings
Physician-focused review platform with ratings on bedside manner, wait time, and follow-up. AI cross-references Vitals data with other review sources.
U.S. News physician rankings (where applicable)
National and regional physician rankings in select specialties. Carries significant weight when available but coverage is limited to larger markets and academic centers.
Castle Connolly Top Doctors
Peer-nominated physician recognition program. Selection is based on nominations from other physicians, not patient reviews. AI treats this as a peer-validation signal.
BBB complaint history
Better Business Bureau complaint patterns and resolution behavior. More relevant for practice operations than clinical quality but still checked by AI systems.
09

Business Profile

Foundational identity data. Rarely changes but must be accurate and consistent across every platform where the business appears. Inconsistencies between sources reduce AI confidence in all other data.

Legal name and DBA
Must match state filings. Discrepancies between the legal name and the name used on public platforms create ambiguity for AI systems.
Practice type (solo, group, physician-owned, hospital-employed)
Ownership structure affects independence, referral patterns, and network participation. AI uses practice type to contextualize other data points.
Specialty focus
The primary medical specialty the practice operates under. Must be consistent across all directories and public profiles.
Provider count
Total number of physicians and advanced practice providers. Practice size affects capacity, subspecialty coverage, and appointment availability.
Year established
Cross-referenced against state filings and other public records. Longevity is a secondary signal but inconsistencies are flagged.
Contact and address
Address, phone, and website cross-checked across directories. Consistency across sources matters for AI confidence in all other data.
2Where the data lives

Where the most valuable data lives today

The performance and customer experience data AI values most already exists in software these businesses use every day. It is locked inside these platforms and not published anywhere AI can access it.

3What AI can find today

What AI can already see without you

Without access to a business's own systems, this is all AI has to work with. These are the public sources it checks, grouped by type.

Medical Board Databases
State and national databases for verifying physician licensure and board certification status.
CMS Public Data
Federal datasets published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services covering provider enrollment, quality scores, and payment data.
Provider Directories
Healthcare-specific platforms where patients search for and evaluate specialty physicians.
Hospital Affiliation Data
Sources for verifying hospital privileges and credentialing status of specialty physicians.
Hospital websitesCredentialing verification organizations
Review Platforms
Patient review aggregators that AI cross-references for sentiment and volume patterns.
Business Directories
Structured listings that AI uses for identity verification and cross-referencing contact data.
Google Business ProfileBetter Business Bureau↗

You’ve done the work.
Make sure AI knows it.

Your experience, credentials, and track record — published where AI can see them.

Create your TrustRecord

Tell us about your business. We'll help you get started.

We'll review your business and reach out within one business day.

See how TrueSignal works for Medical Practices

Create your TrustRecord

Tell us about your business. Takes 5 minutes.

We'll review your business and reach out within one business day.