It isn’t often a company refreshes its brand in a truly significant way. It’s a time consuming and sometimes challenging process, and it forces some deep introspection. And as we learned at ThedaCare, it’s also invigorating and affirming.
About a year ago, we decided the time was right to undertake that kind of journey. Our recent growth and the continuously changing healthcare landscape our patients are experiencing prompted us forward. It’s been quite a trip.
We haven’t arrived at our destination, but we’re well on our way to redefining what it means to be better. Our fresh brand is central to our trek. We’re refocusing on what our patients and their families have told us about their ThedaCare experience – primarily, that they trust us for their most complex care needs, that we sometimes confuse them, and that they’re looking for a guide.
Reducing their confusion and increasing their peace of mind is at the heart of our brand. We’ve renewed an emphasis on sharing ideas across our system. We’re engaging providers and employees to set standards across our footprint. Without that continuity, people have a harder time experiencing the value we offer. So, we’re developing more shared processes to create the same, high quality experience for patients no matter where they’re seen.
We’re also moving toward a clearer naming structure for our facilities, from Appleton to Waupaca. Patients and their families from 14 counties come to our seven hospitals, two surgery centers, 35 physician clinics and scores of other services and facilities. That’s a lot to navigate and understand. As part of our commitment to partnering with local communities, we had previously retained local names when new organizations joined us. The result was that patients weren’t always aware they were being seen at a ThedaCare facility. That was confusing. We can do better, so we are.
We’ve unveiled a new logo that looks and feels the same across our system, connects our facilities and services, eliminates patient confusion and reinforces our broad and deep system of care. Our new look is energizing, bright and expressive of who are today, even as it honors who we’ve always been.
It’s always been part of our DNA to provide the highest quality health care while keeping costs as affordable as possible. Over the years we’ve set new standards for ourselves, and we continuously set them higher. When we make improvements, we aim to improve the improvement. This is who we are, and none of this is changing. If anything, our fresh brand inspires us to press forward with even more momentum.
We’ve learned a lot about ourselves these past months and it’s been an exciting time. Today, we’re telling the story you already know well – how ThedaCare guides complex and complicated health care needs – and how we’re advancing improvements in care. When you hear one of our new cancer ads or read about ThedaStar air medical helicopter or step into ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, consider our rich history together – a community-owned health system partnered with the people it serves – and then enjoy today’s refreshed experience. Our journey continues. Thanks for being part of it.
By Dr. Dean Gruner, president and CEO of Appleton-based ThedaCare.
