Last updated: 6 November 2026

The TVA Framework™: Trust, Visibility, Advocacy

The TVA framework, developed by Akhil Dave from 25+ years in healthcare marketing, says healthcare marketing should be built in a fixed order: Trust first, Visibility second, Advocacy third. Trust is earned through content, reputation and referrals; visibility makes you findable; advocacy happens when patients and doctors speak for you.

Why a sequence

Most hospitals start with visibility (ads, posts) and wonder why patients don’t come. TVA puts trust first, because patients check neighbours, family, Google, reviews and their family doctor before choosing.

T: Trust

Medical marketing is the strategic process of building trust between a healthcare provider and the community, so patients choose you confidently when they need care.

  • Content: educational material that positions your doctors as authorities, in the language patients understand.
  • Reputation: Google reviews and your replies to them, plus a consistent presence on health platforms.
  • Referral: relationships with general practitioners, pharmacists and community leaders.

V: Visibility

Visibility means being findable where patients look. Akhil describes a “digital surface layer” (social pages and ads) and a “digital trust layer” (Google results, reviews, doctor branding, website authority). The distance between how you look and how much patients trust you is the digital health gap.

The five pillars of the digital health system

  1. Search presence
  2. Reputation architecture
  3. Content authority
  4. Social proof system
  5. WhatsApp and retention marketing

Digital health gap audit (five questions, about 20 minutes)

  1. Search your hospital name, city and top specialty on Google. Do you appear on page one, with a complete Google profile?
  2. How many Google reviews do you have, what is your rating, and when did you last reply to one?
  3. How many pieces of educational content did you publish in the last 30 days?
  4. Do you show social proof, such as consented patient testimonials and complete doctor profiles?
  5. Do you have a structured WhatsApp follow-up for patients after discharge or consultation?

A: Advocacy

Advocacy is when patients and colleagues talk about you without an advertisement. The most powerful form is a doctor with a trusted personal brand.

The five-step Digital Doctor framework

  1. Own your name on Google and AI tools.
  2. Choose one platform and be consistent.
  3. Answer the questions patients already ask.
  4. Collect and manage patient reviews, with consent and within NMC guidelines.
  5. Let patients become your brand ambassadors.

How to apply TVA this week

  • Run the digital health gap audit above.
  • Check and complete your Google Business Profile.
  • Write down one question patients ask and publish an answer.

Responsibility note: patient stories, testimonials and review requests must follow the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines and data-protection rules.

FAQs

What does TVA stand for?

Trust, Visibility, Advocacy.

Why this order?

Trust is the foundation. Visibility without trust is noise. Advocacy compounds once trust and visibility exist.

Is TVA only for hospitals?

No. Akhil Dave applies it to hospitals, clinics and individual doctors.

Who created the TVA framework?

Akhil Dave, founder of HMS Consultants, from his 25+ years in healthcare marketing.

Work with Akhil

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