Local hospital gets new name

The Presbyterian Medical Center, one of the four hospitals under the University's Health System, was renamed the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center-Presbyterian on Friday. The hospital will now function as part of the University's Medical Center, which previously included the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania, according to a memo distributed to Health System faculty and staff Friday. According to Michele Volpe, executive director of the UPMC-Presbyterian, the name change is an attempt to reinforce public awareness of the link between the hospital and the University and to emphasize its relationship with Penn faculty physicians. According to Volpe, when Presbyterian was purchased by Penn in 1995, the hospital was mainly comprised of independent practice doctors. Over the years, however, there has been increased integration with clinical practice faculty from Penn. Officials also hope the modification of the hospital's title will solidify the connection to the University's brand name. "The brand 'Penn' is something that is attractive and well-known to consumers," Volpe said. "The outside world identifies more with the Medical Center than with the Health System." According to Volpe, surveys performed by Presbyterian have shown that the hospital, located at 39th and Market streets, has continually ranked low in name recognition outside of the local West Philadelphia region. "Consumer awareness scores are low because people aren't sure where it is," Volpe said. The hospital had been contemplating changing its name for about three years, according to Volpe. The decision to make the switch now is based on the city's approval for the hospital to install new signage. With the signs ready to be made, the hospital thought it would be an opportune time to display its close relation to the Penn brand. Other possible names that were considered included Penn Presbyterian, similar to Columbia University's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. "We will always keep 'Presbyterian' because it is significant to the community," Volpe said. The University's Health System includes the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Phoenixville Hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital.