You Are the Brand

Hospital Brands: Hospital Branding in Challenging and Uncertain Times

Much of my coaching and consulting work revolves around marketing , communications, and, yes, branding in the world of healthcare . Many of my clients are hospitals or hospital systems trying to figure out how to manage and meet their bottom line in a constantly changing environment, including national healthcare reform, government reimbursement reductions, new and everchanging regulations, and intense competition, not just for patients but also for qualified physicians. All the while, these hospitals are trying to keep their brands strong in the marketplace and their employees engaged, enthused, and involved, while also cutting costs and sometimes laying people off. This is the backdrop for this chapter, which features three hospitals /hospital systems that I have worked with for many years— each has unique stories to tell but all are trying to accomplish the same thing.What you are about to read barely scratches the surface of the entire branding game plan for each of these institutions, but even this basic overview provides valuable lessons to anyone trying to build, sustain, and promote a brand in a large, diverse, and complex organization. Saint Barnabas Health Care System: 4 Boxes . . . One Philosophy All four of my children were born at Saint Barnabas Medical Center , which is part of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System (SBHCS), the largest health care system in New Jersey and one of the largest in the nation. SBHCS includes six acute care hospitals, a psychiatric hospital, outpatient centers, two children’s hospitals, 88 Hospital Brands Hospital Branding in Challenging and Uncertain Times Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:28 AM Page 88 geriatric centers, a state-wide behavioral health network, and comprehensive home care and hospice programs, at fifty sites throughout New Jersey. System facilities treat over two million patients each year. Within this complex structure, excellence thrives.The specialties of Heart and Heart Surgery at Newark Beth Israel and Neurology and Neurosurgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center were named in their specific areas among the 50 Best Hospitals in the United States (and in fact, are tops in New Jersey) by U.S. News and World Report. Modern Healthcare named SBHCS among the 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare in the United States and SBHCS is recognized for being among the top 10 in the nation in volume for heart transplants, renal and pancreas transplants, and burn care. I know the hospital and the system well. I’ve dealt with top executives, doctors, nurses, and orderlies, as well as with the people who greet you at the entrance, and I have led seminars and workshops with hundreds, if not thousands, of employees throughout the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.While no system or hospital is perfect, and mistakes occur no matter how many precautions are taken, there is a philosophy at SBHCS that focuses on excellence in terms of patient satisfaction and customer service.This philosophy starts at the top with CEO Ron Del Mauro. The branding focus of SBHCS is exemplified in what is called the “four boxes” in the SBHCS logo. Each box stands for a particular pillar of the Saint Barnabas approach, which includes: Quality; Patient, Employee and Physician Satisfaction; Cost Efficiency; Execution and Sustainability. When I asked Del Mauro about the significance of the four boxes in the branding of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, here’s some of what he had to say: “People are always looking for something unique as far as a logo is concerned. At Saint Barnabas, we believe that it’s not the logo that makes the philosophy; it is the philosophy that makes the logo.We came up with these four boxes because we liked the way they looked, and they stood out.When all is said and done, however, it’s what we did to make those images special that created the impact of the logo. First, we created something that we felt was visually appealing and marketable, and then HOSPITAL BRANDS 89 Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:28 AM Page 89 we asked ourselves how we could make people identify the image with the SBHCS philosophy, which is that patients’ and family members’ expectations will be met every time they come to any of our fifty sites in New Jersey. It is the execution of our philosophy that makes the logo so special.” I then asked Michellene Davis, senior vice president for Policy...