Delivering a new website for a large health system
How we led strategy and design to create an easier-to-use healthcare website that put patient and brand experience first
Creating a cohesive online presence
Med Center Health has six hospitals and more than 30 clinics across a 12-county area in Southcentral Kentucky. The system’s online presence was spread out across more than 18 separate and outdated sites. The many disparate sites made it challenging for consumers to navigate the system and fully grasp the scope of its services and what made Med Center Health so unique and valuable to its region.
Improving the healthcare user experience
We partnered with our client, including numerous internal stakeholders, to develop a plan that would improve the user experience of its website, place a greater focus on its patient portal, and streamline the health system’s presence into one website instead of more than 18. Above all, we would position Med Center Health as a system to convey the breadth of its services and service area for patients who needed the access to innovative care Med Center Health provides.
Improved digital presence and brand story
In October 2019, Med Center Health launched its new website. The new site successfully migrated 18+ disparate sites under one consistent system-wide site – one that gave the Med Center Health team easy control over its content management system and confidence that the brand was being reflected, while patients benefited from an improved experience. The patient experience Med Center Health patients so valued had reached their digital experience as well. We were able to consolidate repetitive content and position Med Center Health as the region’s leading health system, rather than a collection of hospitals and clinics. Ultimately, Med Center Health’s digital presence tells an improved brand story that clearly differentiates the health system and the access to top-quality healthcare it provides for Southcentral Kentucky.
The website was recently recognized with a Gold Award from the Healthcare Digital Marketing Awards in the Best Overall Internet Site category.
Following the brand. Simplifying direction.
Before working on the website, Core had already collaborated with Med Center Health to define its brand in a Brand Compass. We developed a new value proposition that reflected Med Center Health’s ability to offer more access to top-quality healthcare than any other provider in Southcentral Kentucky – a vital differentiator in the region. The brand was central to our planning and the simple objectives we set out to achieve.
Bringing the site to life
Through our research into the needs of Med Center Health staff (medical and administrative) and those of healthcare consumers in the region, we developed an understanding of how audiences would use the site.
Leading Med Center Health through our digital process, with deliverables at each milestone, we performed a content audit and delivered a content strategy that would support the brand’s integration and patients’ needs throughout the entire site. Pairing that with detailed information architecture for all sections and pages gave our teams a clear vision for designing a site that would meet everyone’s expectations easily and with the right information in the right place.
Patient satisfaction starts before they arrive
By creating a website that helps consumers find what they need, quickly, Med Center Health offers a better experience to new and returning patients. The health system has increased the likelihood of new patient acquisition and patient retention to meet one of the health system’s primary goals – stemming patient migration to out-of-state systems in larger neighboring cities.