COLUMBIA and GREENVILLE, SC, Sept. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenville Health System (GHS) and Palmetto Health will unite under a new brand, Prisma Health, in early 2019. Since November 2017, GHS and Palmetto Health have been operating as the Upstate and Midlands affiliates of SC Health Company, a not-for-profit, locally governed parent company. SC Health Company has served as an interim name. The parent company is being rebranded now under the new name, Prisma Health. Both affiliates will be rebranded as Prisma Health in early 2019. Campuses and hospitals will retain their core name identities like Baptist, Greenville Memorial, Laurens County, Richland and Tuomey. Coming together under one name and brand is a reflection of how GHS and Palmetto Health have worked together to improve the health of all South Carolinians. Both affiliates will continue to connect teams, tools, technology and academics in an effort to make a lasting impact in the communities each has served for more than a century. “This is an once-in-a-lifetime moment for our organization,” said Prisma Health Co-Chief Executive Officer Charles D. Beaman Jr. “We’re poised for great change. With a motivated 30,000-team-member workforce, we’re confident we will continue to make strides to improve clinical quality, access to care and the patient experience for South Carolinians, while addressing the rising cost of health care.” When the affiliates first announced their partnership, they planned to retain their existing brands. Over time – and with input from leaders, physicians, team members, patients and community members – they realized that in order to become a single health company with a unified culture, it was necessary to come together under a unified brand for the entire organization. “We’ve already learned so much from each other,” said Prisma Health Co-Chief Executive Officer Michael C. Riordan. “What we’re doing now will pave the way for transformative changes to health care in South Carolina. And through our efforts, we’ve already identified ways to achieve more together by operating as one organization under a single name and brand identity.” He added, “Although much is changing, much will remain the same, including both the Upstate and Midlands affiliates’ longstanding dedication to patient care, unwavering commitment to their communities and a strong focus on academics and clinical research.” The new Prisma Health name reflects the diverse, multifaceted nature of the organization and its team members, as well as the bright future that lies ahead. Officials believe the name and distinctive logo distinguish Prisma Health from traditional health care systems and signal its intent to look at health, and health care, in a completely new way. “There’s no better time than now for us to come together,” said James E. “Rick” Wheeler, board chairman of Prisma Health and vice president of M-D MetalSource. “South Carolina is facing a health crisis, and for years our state has hovered at the bottom of national health rankings. South Carolinians deserves better. We all deserve better. Prisma Health absolutely believes we can make significant improvements in our state’s health by working together.” GHS President Spence Taylor, M.D. emphasized Prisma Health’s commitment to its patients. “Patient care remains at the center of all we do. The trusted relationships between patients and their health care providers will not change, nor will our bedrock commitment to our communities and improving the lives of the people who live there, whether it’s through patient care, academics or clinical research.” Palmetto Health President John Singerling added, “From the Upstate to the Midlands, we want our communities to see the Prisma Health name and know they can always turn to us for a personalized experience of high-quality, compassionate care. By unifying under one shared name, we will make it easier for our patients and their families to understand who we are and what we do when they need our services.” As part of the new identity, the current GHS and Palmetto Health brands, including their names and logos, will be retired in early 2019. Additionally, both affiliates have replaced their mission, vision and values statements with a new Purpose Statement. Singerling added, “We are excited that all of our team members are coming together with one common goal: Inspire health. Serve with compassion. Be the difference.” Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group, a joint venture between the Midlands affiliate of Prisma Health and the USC School of Medicine, will be renamed Prisma Health-USC Medical Group in late 2019. For more information, please visit prismahealth.org. About Prisma Health Prisma Health is the largest not-for-profit health organization in South Carolina, serving more than 1.2 million patients annually. The new company is comprised of two affiliates — Greenville Health System as its Upstate affiliate and Palmetto Health as its Midlands affiliate — with more than 30,000 team members. Its objective is to improve the health of all South Carolinians through improved clinical quality, access to care and patient experience, while also addressing the rising cost of health care. Prisma Health is committed to academic and clinical research excellence and will continue to focus on educating the next generation of physicians, nurses, dentists and other medical professionals. For more information, visit prismahealth.org. ### Attachment<doc-sep>Greenville Health System and Palmetto Health announced on Tuesday that the partnership they formed last year will officially become Prisma Health in 2019. Greenville, SC (Greenville News) - Greenville Health System and Palmetto Health announced on Tuesday that the partnership they formed last year will officially become Prisma Health in 2019. The organization, which was called SC Health Co. over the past year or so, is the largest health care system in South Carolina, with 1.2 million patients a year, $3.9 billion in annual revenue and some 30,000 employees. Though the systems originally planned to keep their own brands, it was decided that a single brand for the entire organization was needed. So while the GHS and Palmetto Health brands will be retired, hospitals will keep their core names, such as Greenville Memorial, officials said. “What we’re doing now will pave the way for transformative changes to health care in South Carolina,” said Michael C. Riordan, Prisma Health co-CEO. “And through our efforts, we’ve already identified ways to achieve more together by operating as one organization under a single name and brand identity.” Palmetto Health President John Singerling said that one shared name will make it easier for patients to understand who Prisma Health is and what they do. The new system will handle only financial and strategic matters and each system will continue to operate independently, officials said. The partnership was formed to allow the new system to attract new grants, subspecialists and research money, as well as access to services that don’t exist in this area now, officials said. “We’re poised for great change,” said Prisma Health co-CEO Charles D. Beaman Jr. “With a motivated 30,000-team-member workforce, we’re confident we will continue to make strides to improve clinical quality, access to care and the patient experience for South Carolinians, while addressing the rising cost of health care.” The name Prisma Health reflects "the diverse, multifaceted nature of the organization and its team," and will distinguish it from other systems, officials said. Both affiliates will continue to connect teams, tools, technology and academics in an effort to make a lasting impact in the communities they serve, officials said. “The trusted relationships between patients and their health care providers will not change,” said GHS President Dr. Spence Taylor, “nor will our bedrock commitment to our communities and improving the lives of the people who live there, whether it’s through patient care, academics or clinical research.” Prisma officials are putting together a plan to manage the name change conversion, which includes signage, printed material and vehicles, so costs will be phased in over the next year or so, officials said.<doc-sep>The two South Carolina health systems, which merged last year, say the rebranding under one name reflects a unified commitment to improve care delivery in the Palmetto State. Greenville Health System and Palmetto Health will finalize a consolidation that began last year and rebrand as Prisma Health, the two South Carolina health systems said Tuesday. Since late 2017, the two systems have been affiliates in the largest not-for-profit health system in the state, operating under a parent company with the interim name of SC Health Company. That parent company is being rebranded as Prisma Health and both health systems will adopt the new name in early 2019. However, the 13 hospitals in the combined system will retain their core name identities, such as Baptist, Greenville Memorial, Laurens County, Richland and Tuomey. The two health systems said in a joint media release that coming together under one new brand reflects their commitment to South Carolina. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for our organization," said Prisma Health Co-CEO Charles D. Beaman Jr. "With a motivated 30,000-team-member workforce, we’re confident we will continue to make strides to improve clinical quality, access to care and the patient experience for South Carolinians, while addressing the rising cost of healthcare," said Beaman, the former CEO of Palmetto Health. South Carolina has some of the nation's highest rates of obesity, diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. With the merger, Prisma Health says it now has the scale, scope and resources to address those population health issues, while continuing to be a not-for-profit, mission-driven organization. When the two systems merged last year, no name changes were planned. However, Prisma Health Co-CEO Michael C. Riordan said plans changed when leadership realized that a single health company with a unified culture needed to unite under one name. "We've already learned so much from each other," said Riordan, the former CEO at Greenville Health. "What we’re doing now will pave the way for transformative changes to health care in South Carolina. And through our efforts, we've already identified ways to achieve more together by operating as one organization under a single name and brand identity." Brad Haller, director of West Monroe Partners' Mergers & Acquisitions practice, says the consolidation has made sense for two health systems with a healthy footprint in South Carolina. "Combining the two under one umbrella is a good geographic play in that it connects the western part of the state with the central part of the state. While these are the two largest health systems in the state, there is still a healthy amount of 'competition' from other providers," Haller says. The deal is representative of larger M&A trends in the healthcare sector, where Haller says "everything is about cost take-out and building scale against the payers," which he says is the primary strategic driver for most consolidations. "Prisma" is a variation on the "prism," which Merriam-Webster defined as "a medium that distorts, slants, or colors whatever is viewed through it." Prisma Health said the new name "reflects the diverse, multifaceted nature of the organization and its team members, as well as the bright future that lies ahead." The health system says "the name and distinctive logo distinguish Prisma Health from traditional healthcare systems and signal its intent to look at health, and health care, in a completely new way. The existing GHS and Palmetto Health brands, including their names and logos, will be retired in early 2019. Additionally, both affiliates have replaced their mission, vision and values statements with a new Purpose Statement."<doc-sep>
Advertisement GHS, Palmetto Health unite to form Prisma Health New hospital system becomes largest in South Carolina, one of biggest employers Share Shares Copy Link Copy The biggest hospital system in the state of South Carolina has a new name. The Greenville Health System has united with Palmetto Health to become Prisma Health.The two health care providers have been operating since November 2017 as the Upstate and Midlands affiliates of SC Health Company, a not-for-profit, locally governed parent company.The new name was announced Tuesday morning, and both affiliates will be rebranded in early 2019, officials said.It immediately becomes the largest not-for-profit health organization in South Carolina, serving more than 1.2 million patients each year, officials said. It's also one of the largest employers in the state, with 30,000 workers. "This is an once-in-a-lifetime moment for our organization," said Prisma Health Co-Chief Executive Officer Charles D. Beaman Jr. "We're poised for great change. With a motivated 30,000-team-member workforce, we're confident we will continue to make strides to improve clinical quality, access to care and the patient experience for South Carolinians, while addressing the rising cost of health care. "When the affiliates first announced their partnership, they planned to retain their existing brands, according to a news release. Over time - and with input from leaders, physicians, team members, patients and community members - they realized that in order to become a single health company with a unified culture, it was necessary to come together under a unified brand for the entire organization, the release said. "We've already learned so much from each other," said Prisma Health Co-Chief Executive Officer Michael C. Riordan. "What we're doing now will pave the way for transformative changes to health care in South Carolina. And through our efforts, we've already identified ways to achieve more together by operating as one organization under a single name and brand identity. ""Although much is changing, much will remain the same, including both the Upstate and Midlands affiliates' longstanding dedication to patient care, unwavering commitment to their communities and a strong focus on academics and clinical research," Riordan said.The new Prisma Health name reflects the diverse nature of the organization and its team members, as well as the bright future that lies ahead, according to the release.Officials believe the name, which Riordan admitted was a made-up word, and distinctive logo distinguish Prisma Health from traditional health care systems and signal its intent to look at health, and health care, in a completely new way. "We wanted (a name) that stands out. I think this stands out on lots of different - whether it's Google or Nike or Starbucks - you have this, sort of, image that comes with a brand. We wanted the opportunity to take a new name and give it our meaning," Riordan said.