How many hospitals are left?  Scores of hospitals over the past decade or two have changed their name from hospital to medical center.  The thought was that the term “hospital” was old-fashioned and outdated.   Therefore many rushed out and changed their name to the much-preferred and trendy “medical center”. 

But what do consumers prefer?

A national survey of 1027 adults indicated that hospital is the preferred term.   This is very interesting.  Obviously hospitals changed their names without checking what consumers thought.  It’ll be interesting to see if the trend turns back toward medical facilities being referred to as hospitals.   Who knows?

This is really not a major issue.  But it does point out how hospital marketers, administrators and marketing consultants sometimes make recommendations without understanding the attitudes and perspectives of the consumer.  Decisions that do not  consider the consumer can  sometimes prove quite costly.