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On November 11, 2026, we ran ten everyday dermatologist searches in ChatGPT for St. Petersburg, Florida, where Thrasker is based. It returned specific practices, phone numbers, and often ratings, but the lists changed from answer to answer, and some details didn’t match. This matters because people already bring health questions to ChatGPT. OpenAI said in January 2026 that more than 230 million people ask health and wellness questions on it every week.
What we found, in short:
- ChatGPT named 18 different practices or doctors across the ten answers, and no practice appeared in all ten.
- It mostly pointed to practices’ own websites and health-system pages, not to review sites.
- In five answers, a rating below 4.0 appeared on the map but not in the written text.
- The same practice showed up with different phone numbers in different answers.
How did we test ChatGPT?
We ran ten searches in one session on a free ChatGPT account with web search on. Each search was in a temporary chat, so nothing was saved to the chat history, and each named the city, St. Petersburg, FL, instead of using “near me.” We ran each search once, so this is a snapshot, not a ranking. We recorded what ChatGPT said without verifying each phone number, rating, or claim, and we left practice names out on purpose because this isn’t a review of any practice. Every search named St. Petersburg, FL. Here they are with the city removed for space:
| Prompt | Practices named | What stood out |
|---|---|---|
| Find me a dermatologist. | 5 | Ratings, phone numbers, links, and a map. |
| Who is the best dermatologist? | 7 | A “best overall pick,” with ratings credited to Google reviews. |
| I have a mole that changed shape. Which dermatologist should I see? | 3 | It opened with advice to be examined as soon as possible. |
| Dermatologist who treats acne. | 6 | Picks explained by what each practice says it treats. |
| Which dermatologists accept new patients? | 7 | Named Zocdoc and Healthgrades. |
| Is there a dermatologist open on Saturdays? | 5 | It couldn’t confirm regular Saturday hours. |
| Affordable dermatologist if I don’t have insurance. | 4, plus 3 free or low-cost clinics | It couldn’t verify cash prices. |
| Pediatric dermatologist. | 4 | Included a hospital-based provider. |
| Where can I get a skin cancer screening? | 5 | The map showed a practice the list left out. |
| Cosmetic dermatologist for Botox. | 5 | Favored dermatologist-led clinics over standalone med spas. |
What did ChatGPT show us?
Short lists of names, built mostly from practices’ own websites, with details that didn’t always agree. ChatGPT named 3 to 7 practices per answer, with a median of 5. Across all ten answers, it named 18 different practices or doctors by our count, counting a doctor and their practice as one. Two practices appeared in 7 of the 10 answers, and 10 of the 18 names appeared only once. The pediatric, skin cancer screening, and Botox answers included five names that appeared nowhere else, so more specific searches surfaced different practices.
In 8 of the 10 answers, the links or source labels pointed to a practice’s or clinic’s own website, or to a health system’s page. Directory sites were named in just two answers: Zocdoc and Healthgrades in the new-patients answer, and LowCostClinics.org in the no-insurance answer. No answer named Yelp, though we could only see the links ChatGPT displayed, so it may have used more sources than it showed. In three answers, ChatGPT favored practices whose own sites spelled something out, such as acne treatment, full-body skin checks, or whether they’re taking new patients.
Star ratings appeared in 7 of the 10 answers, but not always where you’d read them. In five answers, a practice in the written list had a rating below 4.0 on the map but no rating in the text. The details also varied: for one practice, ChatGPT gave three different phone numbers across answers, and for another, two phone numbers and two website addresses. Some practices have more than one location or phone line, so not every difference is a mistake, but the answer doesn’t say which is which.
ChatGPT also admitted what it couldn’t find. It said it couldn’t confirm regular Saturday hours at a dermatology practice and couldn’t verify current cash prices, and nine of the ten answers ended with a question asking us to narrow things down.
What should you do with these results?
Use ChatGPT to build a shortlist, then verify it. If you’re trying to find a dermatologist, call the number on the practice’s own website, check the ratings on the map and not just the written list, and ask the office about insurance, new patients, and hours, which ChatGPT told us to confirm too.
If you run a practice, these dermatology SEO basics are our reading, not a finding. Spell out each service on its own page, such as acne, skin checks, or Botox. Say whether you’re taking new patients and list your hours. Keep your phone number, address, and website address identical everywhere. And keep an eye on your ratings, since they showed up in most answers.
To test your own business, pick 8 to 10 searches your customers might type, name your city instead of “near me,” run each in a new temporary chat with web search on, and write down who appears, which sources show, and which details look wrong. Repeat in a month to see what changes.
Curious what ChatGPT says when someone searches for your business? Get in touch with our team.
