Ascension has expanded its systemwide rebranding in six more of its markets to help patients navigate care and establish a consistent culture across the organization, executives said Tuesday.
The markets include the Texas region's Seton in Austin and Providence in Waco; the Gulf Coast's Sacred Heart in Pensacola, Fla., and Providence in Mobile, Ala.; Lourdes in Binghamton, N.Y.; St. Vincent's in Birmingham, Ala.; St. Vincent's in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Via Christi in Wichita and central Kansas. The Ascension name will precede the long-standing hospital names.
This round follows last year's rebranding in Ascension's two largest markets, Michigan and Wisconsin. The latest effort, which will take about a year, will cover about three-quarters of the entire system as the organization looks to establish a unified national brand. Executives hope the rebranding will help patients better identify and access the national Catholic hospital giant's growing footprint.
"The adoption of a consistent identity across our systems of care fosters collaboration and ultimately ensures our patients receive the right care in the right setting at the right time through a truly integrated national system," Ascension President and CEO Anthony Tersigni said in a statement.
The rebranding also represents a shift to a marketing model that allows the organization to better track and understand its patient base, said Nick Ragone, chief marketing and communications officer at Ascension.
"It will help us create a seamless end-to-end Ascension experience across all sites of care and to do that we need an integrated identity in addition to clinical and operations alignment," he said.
St. Louis-based Ascension, which is the largest not-for-profit in the country with 141 hospitals, has expanded in its markets by growing its ambulatory sites and through select acquisitions.
Ascension is coordinating services like telemedicine across its hospitals, physicians and clinicians, and is growing segments like its Medical Mission at Home program, which provides free screenings, medical services, dental care and prescriptions for low-income families and people without insurance.
The company recently announced plans to acquire Presence Health, which has 12 hospitals in the Chicago area.
"During this time of change in our industry, we are empowered to continue strengthening Catholic healthcare as we fully transition to a unified brand," Tersigni said.
