Central Georgia Health System becomes Navicent Health

Central Georgia Health System has rebranded itself as Navicent Health, a name conceived to help the system better connect with patients.

The name change is a mixture of the words “navigate” and “center,” which the Macon, Ga.-based system said stems from its “commitment to assisting patients as they navigate the path of care, while keeping the patient at the center of every decision.”

Each of the organization's facilities carries a new name. The flagship—the Medical Center of Central Georgia—is now Medical Center, Navicent Health. It is the second-largest hospital in the state with 659 staffed beds.

“We believe the high-quality care we practice can be better accessed under one umbrella brand that is easier for patients and communities to embrace,” Navicent Health CEO Ninfa Saunders said in a statement.

The new brand comes almost two months after the system created new, loose alliances with two area hospitals. Navicent signed letters of intent to affiliate with Oconee Regional Medical Center in Milledgeville, Ga., and Putnam General Hospital in Eatonton, Ga. The non-equity partnerships are also similar to Stratus Healthcare, a coalition of more than two dozen Georgia providers, including Navicent, which focus on sharing resources without giving up independence.

Other large health systems have rebranded themselves recently as well. The most recent was 23-hospital Catholic Health Partners, which in July shed that name in favor of Mercy Health. Officials for the Cincinnati-based system said the change made sense because a majority of its divisions already operated under the Mercy name.

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