Portland, Maine 鈥� AOA体育平台 announced today that during 2024 it will roll out a unified identity for its hospitals and other entities across its system, making it easier for patients to understand, find and access their care.
鈥淲e are updating our look, logo and names of our hospitals, practices, administrative offices and other locations to further our shared commitment to working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,鈥� said Dr. Andrew Mueller, CEO of AOA体育平台.
Mueller said that, not only would the new approach help patients better understand that they are receiving care from the region鈥檚 premier health care provider, but it will also bring the organization鈥檚 care team together with a unified identity.
鈥淢ore and more, meeting our patients鈥� needs requires us to provide services at multiple locations with a care team working in concert across what had traditionally been separate hospital organizations. This new approach will reinforce that we are one team committed to our vision,鈥� said Mueller.
Mueller also noted that a well-defined brand will help in attracting and retaining talented caregivers, making it easier for them to identify with the organization鈥檚 values. That will directly benefit patients and support the organization鈥檚 bottom line by further reducing the need for expensive contract labor.
Dr. Ross Isacke, who serves as chief medical officer at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington and has also practiced at Maine Medical Center in Portland and Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, said the unified brand will be of great benefit to patients.
鈥淚n my role at Stephens, when I would tell a patient that they need to be transferred to Maine Medical Center for a higher level of care, or when we were sending a patient from MMC back home to Stephens, there could be anxiety about leaving the hospital that they know and trust,鈥� said Isacke. 鈥淥ften, I would flip my badge over and show that I was part of both hospitals to explain that we are all one and the same. Now, with this new approach to our brand, that will be self-evident, and I think patients will better understand how we deliver care.鈥�
Because new names for health care sites must adhere to strict regulations, and therefore require updates to critical systems, the brand update will be made in phases over a five-month period between June and October.
Locations in AOA体育平台鈥檚 Southern Region, where, as previously announced, Maine Medical Center in Portland and Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and Sanford are coming together under a single hospital license with one medical staff, will make the brand transition in June. The Mountain Region 鈥� which includes hospitals in North Conway, N.H., Norway and Farmington - will follow in August. The Coastal Region 鈥� made up of hospitals in Belfast, Rockport, Damariscotta and Brunswick - will make the transition in September, as will systemwide services for home health and behavioral health.
Locations will be identified primarily as 鈥淎OA体育平台鈥� and will all display the same logo across the system, and in most cases local hospitals will retain an identifier consistent with their historical names.
Across the Southern Region, because the hospitals are uniting, the Maine Medical Center name will be used along with the hospital location. So, the locations will be known as follows:
- AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center Portland
- AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center Biddeford
- AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center Sanford
The hospitals in the Mountain Region in North Conway, N.H., Norway and Farmington will be named as follows, respectively:
- AOA体育平台 Memorial Hospital
- AOA体育平台 Stephens Hospital
- AOA体育平台 Franklin Hospital
In the Coastal Region, the hospitals in Belfast, Rockport, Damariscotta and Brunswick will be named as follows, respectively:
- AOA体育平台 Waldo Hospital
- AOA体育平台 Pen Bay Hospital
- AOA体育平台 Lincoln Hospital
- AOA体育平台 Mid Coast Hospital
The health care system鈥檚 inpatient behavioral health site in Westbrook will be named 鈥�AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor.鈥�
The inpatient pediatric hospital at AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center Portland will have its own version of the AOA体育平台 logo and will be called 鈥�AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital.鈥�
Most other sites across the system will also be renamed with 鈥淎OA体育平台鈥� as the primary identifier. For instance, a practice in Saco offering pediatric care will be called 鈥�AOA体育平台 Pediatrics Saco.鈥�
Terri Cannan, chief marketing and communications officer with AOA体育平台, said that, on a practical level, the new approach to branding will save money over time. Currently, AOA体育平台 operates with more than a dozen brand identities and logos. That means separate branding on everything from lab coats to stationery. It even interferes with money-saving initiatives like combining laundry services across the system and standardizing care team badges.
鈥淲e will get a really good return on this investment,鈥� said Cannan. 鈥淣ot only will we see direct savings by eliminating duplication with all those different logos, but we will also be enhancing the experience for our patients and better positioning ourselves to attract top talent as a high-quality health care system united in our commitment to our patients and communities.鈥�
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About AOA体育平台*
AOA体育平台 is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, 鈥淲orking together so our communities are the healthiest in America.鈥� It consists of a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight other licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. It employs more than 2,000 physicians and advanced practice professionals working together across more than 250 practice locations. With approximately 23,000 employees, it is a leader in research and clinical education and training and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. AOA体育平台 hospitals include AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, AOA体育平台 Franklin Hospital in Farmington, AOA体育平台 Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, AOA体育平台 Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., AOA体育平台 Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, AOA体育平台 Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, AOA体育平台 Stephens Hospital in Norway and AOA体育平台 Waldo Hospital in Belfast. AOA体育平台 also includes the AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital in Portland, AOA体育平台 Care at Home in Saco, the in Scarborough, the AOA体育平台 Medical Group and AOA体育平台 NorDx in Scarborough. AOA体育平台 affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the AOA体育平台 Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.
*Reflects upcoming brand transition effective June-September.