How one hospital rebranded itself from the inside out

Enhanced in-house communication and taking a vow of excellence have motivated the staff to improve the experience for patients

Trover Health System was suffering from a less than sterling reputation.

If things were perceived badly from the outside, it didn’t look too bright on the inside, either. The culture inside the Madisonville, Ky., hospital was described as “stressed.” A hospital survey showed that employees wanted better internal communication.

The new CEO, Bert Whitaker, wanted to change the internal and external perception about the organization. It enlisted the help of Ten Adams, a health-care marketing and business development consultancy. The two worked together to connect employees and the public with its new branding efforts.

Changing company culture

Generally, people don’t go to a hospital unless they have to, so a visit is not usually viewed as a positive experience. Staff interaction can change that.

Jon Headlee, president of Ten Adams, sought to help the more than 2,000 employees understand that the way they treated patients affected the brand.