When it comes to choosing a name--"hospital" or "medical center"--consumers prefer "hospital," according to survey released today by Rivkin & Associates LLC and Bauman Research & Consulting LLC, both based in Glen Rock, N.J. Consumers tend to associate hospitals with more services, better care, new medicine, and expert physicians, compared to medical centers' offerings.
The report showed that survey takers responded with the following data:
|
"Which would you expect to..." |
Hospital |
Medical center |
|
Have a wider range of services |
61% |
31% |
|
Provide patients with better quality medical care |
52% |
32% |
|
Be on the cutting edge of medicine |
53% |
37% |
|
Have physicians who are experts in their field |
46% |
34% |
"The conventional wisdom for years has been that the word 'Hospital' was tired and old-fashioned," said Steve Rivkin, founder of Rivkin & Associates, a marketing and communications consultancy, in a statement. "As a result, hundreds of hospitals have dropped the word and renamed themselves Medical Centers."
However, the new research indicates that consumers, that is, patients, may have better associations with the term "hospital" and that hospitals might want to consider that positive thinking when branding their institution.
For more:
- read the press release