Rebranding has hospitals playing the name game

by Alicia Caramenico, FierceHealthcare What's in a name? For CaroMont Health the answer was the intention to promote community health--followed by a lot of ill-will. The Gastonia, N.C.-based health system last month landed in hot water with residents and veterans over its controversial "cheat death" wellness campaign and its name change from Gaston Memorial Hospital to CaroMont Regional Medical Center. The Gaston County Veterans Council said the hospital's original name was a memorial to local veterans who died in World War II, the Charlotte Observer recently reported. Ultimately the veterans and hospital officials reached a compromise, keeping the new name CaroMont Regional Medical Center, calling the campus and grounds Gaston Memorial Medical Park, and building an eternal flame into a monument recognizing vets, the article noted. But for both parties, it was about more than a name change. CaroMont's experience provides a lesson for hospitals and, more importantly, reinforces that what's in a name matters--to your patients, your community, your brand and even your bottom line. Read the full article at FierceHealthcare
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs