GLEN ROCK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Do consumers prefer a “Hospital” over a “Medical Center,” or vice versa? According to a new survey of 1,027 American adults, the clear answer is: “Hospital.”
On four separate measures, consumers showed strong preferences for a “Hospital” over a “Medical Center.” Survey highlights:
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HOSPITAL |
MEDICAL CENTER |
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Which would have a wider range of services? |
61 |
% |
31 |
% |
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Which would provide patients with better |
52 |
32 |
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Which would be on the cutting edge of medicine, |
53 |
37 |
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Which would have physicians who are experts |
46 |
34 |
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These consumer perceptions come from a survey conducted this month by Rivkin & Associates LLC and Bauman Research & Consulting LLC, both based in Glen Rock, NJ.
“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. “As a result, hundreds of hospitals have dropped the word and renamed themselves Medical Centers.”
“Our data indicates this conventional wisdom is wrong,” said Sandra Bauman, PhD, founder of Bauman Research & Consulting. “This national study shows that consumers favor a ‘hospital’ across the board on the four attributes we measured.”
Survey results were consistent across respondents’ gender, age, income, race, region, household income, size of household and educational levels, according to Dr. Bauman.
“We’ve encountered many internal reasons for using the term ‘medical center,’” said Rivkin. “As hospitals expanded, added facilities and services, and partnered with physicians, they came to see themselves as ‘centers’ of healthcare for their communities. And for some, the term ‘medical center’ also has an academic pedigree, conveying prestige to physicians and other practitioners.”
“Regardless of those internal considerations, it’s always worth listening to the voice of the consumer,” said Dr. Bauman. “A similar study nine years ago asked three of the same four questions, and the results were remarkably consistent to these 2011 results. The stability in consumer preference for ‘hospital’ is especially noteworthy given the heightened national discussion about healthcare and increased consumer involvement in healthcare decision-making in the past few years,” said Dr. Bauman.
Added Rivkin, “Tens of thousands of blue ‘H’ signs across the country point the way to hospitals. This survey indicates that consumers also point to hospitals over medical centers in terms of offering a wide range of services, delivering high-quality care, being on the cutting edge and having expert physicians.”
Rivkin & Associates and Bauman Research & Consulting have completed naming, marketing and research assignments for hundreds of clients in healthcare, consumer products, technology, financial services and other fields.
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SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS: “Hospital” vs. “Medical Center” |
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PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE TERMS HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER. WHICH WOULD YOU EXPECT WOULD... |
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| OVERALL | AGE | INCOME | EDUCATION | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ |
Under |
$50,000 or more |
Less than |
College |
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Have a wider range of |
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| HOSPITAL | 61% | 75% | 56% | 53% | 62% | 59% | 64% | 55% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MEDICAL CENTER | 31% | 17% | 37% | 36% | 29% | 35% | 30% | 34% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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No difference/
Both the same |
6% | 6% | 5% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 5% | 8% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Don't know/
Refused |
2% | 1% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 3% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Provide patients with |
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| HOSPITAL | 52% | 53% | 52% | 50% | 54% | 50% | 54% | 45% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MEDICAL CENTER | 32% | 34% | 32% | 31% | 34% | 33% | 31% | 35% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
No difference/
Both the same |
12% | 10% | 12% | 15% | 8% | 13% | 10% | 17% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Don't know/
Refused |
4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Be on the cutting edge |
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| HOSPITAL | 53% | 57% | 53% | 48% | 49% | 53% | 54% | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MEDICAL CENTER | 37% | 33% | 38% | 39% | 39% | 37% | 37% | 37% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
No difference/
Both the same |
8% | 8% | 8% | 10% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 11% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Don't know/
Refused |
2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Have physicians who |
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| HOSPITAL | 46% | 51% | 45% | 44% | 48% | 43% | 49% | 40% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MEDICAL CENTER | 34% | 27% | 34% | 39% | 36% | 37% | 34% | 32% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
No difference/
Both the same |
19% | 21% | 20% | 15% | 15% | 19% | 15% | 26% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Don't know/
Refused |
2% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© 2011 Rivkin & Associates LLC and Bauman Research & Consulting LLC
Telephone survey conducted June 2-5, 2011, using random-digit dialing (RDD), among a national probability sample of 1027 adults, 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the continental United States. Data are weighted by five variables: age, sex, geographic region, race, and education to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total population, 18 years of age and older.
For complete survey results, please see www.baumanresearch.com/hospitalsurvey