Last updated November 4, 2026
Our agency has kept an anonymized database of patient acquisition costs from the medical practices we have worked with since our founding, segmented by practice type and marketing channel. The following report was compiled from that client data and research, and covers 2021 through October 2026.
Patient acquisition cost is the marketing spend required to bring in one new patient. Sample sizes vary by practice type. Some figures come from a limited number of practices, while others draw on a larger group, so we recommend checking Appendix A before relying on a single row.
In the sections below, we break down cost by practice type and marketing channel, then compare current figures with our 2024 report.
Average Patient Acquisition Cost by Practice Type
In the table below, we list all 19 practice types for which we hold data, with the average patient acquisition cost for each.
Average Patient Acquisition Cost by Practice Type, 2026
| Practice Type | Patient Acquisition Cost |
| Allergy / Immunology | $421 |
| Cardiology | $589 |
| Cosmetic / Plastic Surgery | $617 |
| Dentistry | $379 |
| Dermatology | $448 |
| Endocrinology | $402 |
| Family Practice | $272 |
| General Practice | $201 |
| Geriatrics | $411 |
| Med Spa | $293 |
| Naturopathic | $387 |
| Neurology | $592 |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | $338 |
| Orthodontics | $533 |
| Pediatrics | $160 |
| Podiatry | $221 |
| Psychiatry | $293 |
| Rheumatology | $354 |
| Urgent Care | $291 |
Our researchers took three main points from this data:
- We found that cosmetic and plastic surgery carries the highest acquisition cost at $617, followed by neurology at $592 and cardiology at $589.
- Our data showed pediatrics as the least expensive practice type at $160, and general practice second at $201.
- We found that the most expensive practice type costs close to four times the least expensive, which is why a single cross-specialty average is of limited use for budgeting.
Our plastic surgery patient acquisition cost report studies that specialty in more depth using a separate panel of 74 practices. Its figures should not be compared directly with the $617 shown here.
Average Patient Acquisition Cost by Marketing Channel
In the table below, we blend all practice types together and segment patient acquisition cost by marketing channel.
Average Patient Acquisition Cost by Marketing Channel, 2026
| Marketing Channel | Patient Acquisition Cost |
| Organic Search (SEO) | $218 |
| Paid Search (PPC) | $347 |
| Organic Social | $297 |
| Paid Social | $302 |
| Direct Mail | $245 |
| Radio Advertising | $391 |
| TV Advertising | $469 |
| Video / YouTube Marketing | $358 |
| Outdoor Advertising | $420 |
Three findings stood out to our team:
- We found organic search to be the least expensive channel at $218, followed by direct mail at $245.
- Our data showed paid search costing $129 more per patient than organic search.
- We found that organic and paid social sit within $5 of each other, at $297 and $302.
Patient Acquisition Cost Over Time, 2024 to 2026
Comparing this report with our 2024 edition shows how costs moved. In the table below, we show the marketing channel figures from both editions. The graph beneath it plots the same numbers.
Patient Acquisition Cost Over Time, 2024 to 2026
| Marketing Channel | 2024 Report | 2026 Report | Change |
| Organic Search (SEO) | $215 | $218 | +1.4% |
| Direct Mail | $240 | $245 | +2.1% |
| Organic Social | $289 | $297 | +2.8% |
| Paid Social | $291 | $302 | +3.8% |
| Paid Search (PPC) | $342 | $347 | +1.5% |
| Video / YouTube Marketing | $353 | $358 | +1.4% |
| Radio Advertising | $380 | $391 | +2.9% |
| Outdoor Advertising | $412 | $420 | +1.9% |
| TV Advertising | $461 | $469 | +1.7% |
Our team drew three conclusions from the comparison:
- We found that every channel rose between editions, by 1.4% to 3.8%, with paid social up the most and organic search and video up the least.
- Our data showed 16 of 19 practice types rising. Psychiatry rose the most at 4.6%, from $280 to $293.
- We found three practice types declining: family practice, general practice, and naturopathic, by 0.8% to 1.8%.
These are report-to-report comparisons of pooled data, so they understate year-by-year movement. Our data cannot isolate why individual rows moved.
Requesting a Copy of This Report
If you’d like to request a PDF copy of this report or learn more about our agency, you can reach out here. For related reading, see our reports on patient conversion rate by practice type and customer acquisition channels.
- First Page Sage Research Study. First Page Sage. November 2026. San Francisco, California.
- Meta Platforms Form 10-Q, Quarter Ended September 30, 2026. Meta Platforms, Inc. October 2026. Menlo Park, California.
- Why Are Meta CPMs Rising? Sean Garschi, Growthr. October 2026.
- Healthcare Search Ads Benchmarks for 16 Specialties. LocaliQ. 2026.
- Average Patient Acquisition Cost: 2024 Report. First Page Sage. July 2024. San Francisco, California.
