Dive Brief:
- Stanford Hospital & Clinics is the latest major institution to rebrand itself, announcing July 10 a name change to Stanford Health Care in an effort to better reflect its breadth of services.
- The system is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Children's Health and Stanford University School of Medicine.
- Stanford noted that it is building several major new facilities in the Bay Area, including a comprehensive cancer center in San Jose, what it described as the West Coast’s only integrated neurology/neurosurgery center, and a new Stanford Hospital—which it asserted will be the most advanced hospital in the U.S. upon its completion in early 2018.
Dive Insight:
In an era of intense marketplace competition, health system branding is a crucial way to stand out. Similar to other systems recently changing their names, including Fletcher Allen in Vermont, Stanford said its new name will "better reflect the growing depth and breadth" of Stanford’s adult clinical services. These include inpatient care and clinics, specialty and outpatient centers, affiliated physician practices, virtual care and patient navigation services, and health plan and accountable care offerings.
No word on the cost of Stanford's rebranding effort: but at least its acronym will stay the same. It calls itself the best on many fronts, and apparently anticipates that the new name will reinforce that notion.