January 7, 2026
Brand Update Themes from 2025
Several dominant themes emerge throughout the healthcare brand updates we saw in 2025 including a move toward system consolidations and branded houses, growth signaling, shorted and simplified names, and the retirement of religious references.
Other less salient themes include references to surrounding natural landmarks and the addition of warmer colors in the brand palette.
System Consolidations / Branded Houses
Systems like HCA Healthcare and Baptist Health made significant moves to bring groups of hospitals under their primary brand umbrella. Smaller systems made similar moves toward brand consolidation and a “branded house” framework.
Growth Signaling
Multiple organizations cited shifts in their brand identity to enable and support planned growth for their systems. This was sometimes achieved through shifting away from location-locked naming and other times by moving away from words that would indicate a particular type of service, for example moving from “hospital” to “health.”
Short and Simple
The most extreme example of name shortening is from Columbia Memorial Health, which rebranded as CMH in 2025; however, many other systems made significant efforts to simplify their names last year. Others dropped “care” from “healthcare,” substituted “hospital” in place of “medical center,” or removed extraneous words like “group” from their brand names.
This shift was further emphasized by a consistent shift to cleaner, more simplified logo designs.
Retirement of Religious References
Religious names and symbols dominated early healthcare branding; however, systems have started to move away from such references. The brand updates in 2025 include examples where crosses and words like “saint” and “holy” were removed in favor of more secular options.
Full Rebrands
Columbia Memorial Hospital âž” CMH
Oregon-based Columbia Memorial Hospital rebranded to CMH to bring its multiple facilities under one brand while honoring their 100-year history as Columbia Memorial Hospital through the use of initials. The new logo represents their coastal roots, connection to community, strength, growth, and harmony.
RiskAverse âž” PromptWell
RiskAverse announced a rebrand in December 2025 to reinforce their fully redesigned digital experience. This comprehensive brand update includes a new logo, narrative identity, and website. The new speech bubble represents their commitment to helping brands deliver the right message at the right time in the right way.
Vernon Memorial Healthcare âž” Vernon Health
Vernon Memorial Healthcare shortened it’s brand to Vernon Health after nearly 4 years of input and consideration from its community and staff. They’ve published a thorough explanation of their new brand identity and logo mark which symbolizes their people, community and care.
Willamette Dental Group âž” Willamette Dental
Willamette Dental Group has simplified their name to Willamette Dental in a comprehensive brand refresh that includes a new logo, color palette, photography style, and mission statement designed to bring more authenticity and connection to Willamette Dental’s core purpose. The new logo’s tri-color design and circle of Ws reflect the organization’s three main pillars – dental care, insurance, and clinical leadership.
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health âž” FMOL Health
In November 2025, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System announced a rebrand to the simplified FMOL Health. The system maintained the cross symbol during the transition as well as the navy from their original color palette, paying homage to their legacy brand.
Multiplan âž” Claritev
Following a series of lawsuits alleging collusion between MultiPlan and commercial payors in a price-fixing scheme to underpay providers, the organization chose to rebrand under the new name Claritev. The company refuted allegations and the lawsuits were either dismissed or ruled in MultiPlan’s favor.
Multiple Charleston, South Carolina Area Facilities âž” HCA Healthcare
Although operated by HCA Healthcare for decades, 8 healthcare facilities in the Charleston, South Carolina area operated under unique names. In October 2025, HCA brough these hospitals under the primary brand umbrella:
- Trident Medical Center âž” HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital
- Summerville Medical Center âž” HCA Healthcare Summerville Hospital
- Colleton Medical Center âž” HCA Healthcare Colleton Hospital
- Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness âž” HCA Healthcare Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness
- Brighton Park Emergency âž” HCA Healthcare Brighton Park ER
- Centre Pointe Emergency âž” HCA Healthcare Centre Pointe ER
- Moncks Corner Medical Center âž” HCA Healthcare Moncks Corner ER
- James Island Emergency âž” HCA Healthcare James Island ER
Visual Identity Change Only
St. Luke’s
In October 2025 St. Luke’s dropped the cross symbol from their logo in favor of a simple wordmark. This change brings their facilities, provider network, and health plan under a unified brand.
Rightway
Rightway unveiled a refresh to their visual identity in September 2025. While the changes are subtle, they specifically called out the capitalized R, saying they’ve “raised the bar with a capital R.” They maintained their symbol while moving to a more simplified navy color, still in the blue tone family.
Children’s Hospital Association (CHA)
The Children’s Hospital Association announced a bold update to their brand identity in November 2025. A news release from the organization claims the new logo “reinforces three guiding principles: that children’s health is a national priority, that children are the key to our future, and that progress must be informed by data and driven by action.” The release didn’t elaborate on how the logo reinforces those principles.
Mary Margaret Health
As Margaret Mary Health approached the 1-year mark ahead of their June 2026 expansion, the organization announced a brand refresh in May 2025. The updated logo is simplified in design and symbolizes growth and community while paying homage to the organization’s historic logo.
The University of Texas Medical Branch
In December 2025, UTMB announced a new logo and tagline, “Where purpose meets passion.” The logo is inspired by the university’s Ashbel Smith Building, called “Old Red” by those in the know. The adoption of the burnt orange further connects the university with the overall University of Texas System.
Spinal Simplicity
Spinal Simplicity announced a new logo in March 2025. Appropriately, the new logo adds simplicity to the brand’s visual identity while keeping hot pink in the color palette.
Name Change Only
Hudson Regional Hospitals âž” University Hospitals
Four hospitals in New Jersey which are owned by Hudson Regional Health have been renamed under the “University Health” moniker including:
- Bayonne Medical Center âž” Bayonne University Hospital
- Christ Hospital, Jersey City âž” Heights University Hospital
- Hoboken University Medical Center âž” Hoboken University Hospital
- Hudson Regional Hospital âž” Secaucus University Hospital
Indiana University Health Saxony Hospital âž” IU Health Fishers
In July of 2025, Indiana University Health Saxony Hospital renamed to IU Health Fishers while staying under the Indiana University primary visual brand. The hospital now holds the name of the community in which it resides.
Rebrands through Mergers and Acquisitions
These additional healthcare organizations rebranded as a part of mergers or acquisitions and joined an existing brand umbrella:
- Baptist Medical Centers âž” Baptist Health
- Velocity Urgent Care âž” Sentara Urgent Care
- CHI Memorial âž” CommonSpirit Health
- Holy Family Hospitals âž” Merrimack Health
- Sharon Regional Medical Center âž” Sharon Regional Health System
- Good Samartian Medical Center âž” Boston Medical Center-South
- St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center ➔ Boston Medical Center-Brighton
These organizations created new brands as a part of mergers:
- BJC Healthcare and Saint Luke’s âž” BJC Health
Baptist Medical Centers âž” Baptist Health
Orlando Health acquired five hospitals from Tenet Healthcare in late 2024 and in January 2025 rebranded those hospitals under the Baptist Health umbrella:
- Brookwood Baptist Medical Center âž” Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital
- Citizens Baptist Medical Center âž” Baptist Health Citizens Hospital
- Princeton Baptist Medical Center âž” Baptist Health Princeton Hospital
- Shelby Baptist Medical Center âž” Baptist Health Shelby Hospital
- Walker Baptist Medical Center âž” Baptist Health Walker Hospital
Velocity Urgent Care âž” Sentara Urgent Care
Sentara Health, which had previously operated Velocity Urgent Care as a joint venture since 2017, made full acquisition of the Velocity facilities in late 2023. At the beginning of 2025, they finally transitioned the 18 locations to the Sentara Urgent Care brand.
BJC Healthcare and St. Luke’s âž” BJC Health
BJC HealthCare and Saint Luke’s have joined under the same brand beginning in November 2025 and adopted a new, unified tagline, “Because every moment deserves exceptional care.” The new brand is primarily based on the legacy BJC HealthCare logo, adopting only the original color of the Saint Luke’s legacy brand.
CHI Memorial âž” CommonSpirit Health
Following the merger of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health, CommonSpirit was formed as the new parent system for 143 hospitals. The system has been on a journey to bring each hospital in line with its new brand identity, and in November 2025, CHI Memorial made the transition.
Holy Family Hospitals âž” Merrimack Health
Two Holy Family hospitals in Haverhill and Methuen, Massachusetts were acquired by Lawrence General Hospital after their previous parent company went bankrupt. Lawrence General Hospital and the two acquired hospitals have been relaunched under the Merrimack Health brand, named for the river valley that weaves through the nearby community.
Sharon Regional Medical Center âž” Sharon Regional Health System
Sharon Regional Medical Center, like the Holy Family hospitals, were acquired by another system after their parent company shuttered. Under the management of Tenor Health Foundation, the hospital has revived under the new name Sharon Regional Health System.
Froedtert Health and ThedaCare Health âž” Froedtert ThedaCare
Following the merger of two Wisconsin health systems, Froedtert and ThedaCare have rebranded under a combined name, Froedtert Thedacare, with an updated logo inspired by its new mission and vision.
Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center âž” Boston Medical Center
Boston Medical Center Health System has renamed two hospitals it acquired after the Steward bankruptcy. These hospitals will now hold the Boston Medical Center name and brand:
- Good Samartian Medical Center âž” Boston Medical Center-South
- St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center ➔ Boston Medical Center-Brighton
About the Author
Court Wakefield is the founder and editor of Brand Rounds Magazine. Court is a healthcare marketing executive with two decades experience leading brands through periods of high-stakes change.
