Advice for Rebranding: Listen to the Doctor

We’ve been told since we were young to listen to what our doctors say. When it comes to rebranding, we also need to listen to what our doctors think.

In a previous blog (Brand Identity & Healthcare Integration), we referred to a survey documented in Futurescan 2017-2022, a publication developed by the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Consider today’s blog, Part II.

There is another very enlightening survey in the same issue. Documented in an article by Peter B. Angood, who, not so ironically, is a physician, healthcare executives were queried regarding physician engagement. Of the 651 executives who responded, 97 percent believe their hospital “will successfully increase cooperation with physicians to redefine historical relationships and achieve greater strategic alignment” by 2022. Pity the three percent who don’t.

Another 93 percent of the respondents say that in the next five years, physicians in their hospital “who actively pursue leadership skills and management experiences will be better prepared to improve the systems for clinical care delivery.” Those numbers reflect a clear consensus of thought. Now, here’s the issue. Angood writes that there is “growing recognition that when physicians engage with executives in leading hospitals and health systems, the quality of care significantly improves.” And yet, the author continues, “Despite that recognition, most organizations have yet to achieve a high level of physician involvement.”What does this mean to rebranding and healthcare organizations? Plenty.

Rebranding is a complicated, expensive and lengthy process. It has to be. It takes disorganization and creates cohesion. It refines focus and advances vision. And while the final decisions as to the specific elements of the rebrand must come from top management, those decisions will not be thoughtful and informed unless there is input from the most vital elements in the organization. That input flows from physician engagement.CEOs recognize that physician engagement will yield greater strategic alignment. A primary goal of rebranding is to achieve greater strategic alignment. Put the two together. Involve physicians representing all specialties throughout the rebranding process. Listen to what they think and let them know they are being heard.

Take advantage of your physicians’ unique insight and, as the quality of care improves when doctors engage with healthcare executives, so will the quality of the rebrand.