Inova celebrates five years of transformation with a new brand
How a patient-centered approach led to expansion of world-class services
By WP Creative Group
November 22, 2023
In 1955, Fairfax County, VA, was in need of a hospital. Taking matters into their own hands, a group of Fairfax residents planned their first community hospital around a kitchen table.
Today, almost 70 years later, what began as a modest regional hospital has flourished into a collaborative ecosystem of healthcare centers, hospitals and outpatient services known as Inova. Together, the Inova system serves the diverse health needs of the Northern Virginia community and beyond, and is consistently ranked and recognized as a national healthcare leader in safety, quality and patient experience.
For the past five years, the healthcare system has focused on expanding, streamlining and integrating its patient services. Most recently, Inova unveiled a sophisticated new visual identity to match its stellar reputation.
Inova’s care and cultural transformation journey
Since joining Inova five years ago, J. Stephen Jones, MD, FACS, the president and CEO of Inova as well as a board-certified practicing urological surgeon and Professor of Urology at the University of Virginia, has furthered several initiatives to prioritize patient experience and expand services.
“We’re focused on consistently living the health system’s mission to engage team members in meaningful work,”
– J. Stephen Jones, CEO of Inova
“Inova has been on a five-year care and cultural transformation journey,” Dr. Jones said. “We’re focused on consistently living the health system’s mission to engage team members in meaningful work, promoting access to quality care and prioritizing the patient experience.”
Dr. Jones said he’s particularly proud of the expansion of services and facilities at Inova in just the past two years including the integration of telemedicine and virtual health. These technologies allow patients to schedule appointments more conveniently and consult with their provider remotely, increasing access to care and eliminating the need for transportation.
Expansion for the community, supported by the community
Since the pandemic, the United States has seen a sharp increase in the need for behavioral health services, including treatments for anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
In May 2023, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital expanded its behavioral health unit, adding 20 additional beds and private rooms. The addition makes Inova the largest private provider of inpatient behavioral health services in Northern Virginia. In addition, Inova’s emergency Departments treat nearly 1,200 behavioral health patients each month.
“The critical need for behavioral health services in our community and beyond has never been more apparent than it is today, and the opening of the Veatch Behavioral Health Unit at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is a vital step toward meeting that need,” said Steve Motew, MD, MHA, FACS, Chief, Clinical Enterprise, Inova.
Inova has also implemented depression screening at all patient visits, no matter the reason for the appointment, addressing one of the most prevalent conditions in the Northern Virginia community. Since this has been integrated, more than 4,000 patients mentioned self-harm during these screenings, allowing for interventions in cases that might have otherwise been missed.
The same month, Inova also launched Inova Select Specialty Hospital, the region’s first critical illness recovery hospital designed for patients who no longer require intensive care, but do need an extended hospital stay with specialized clinical support.
“Inova Select Specialty Hospital allows us to fill a market need and provide a much-needed service for Northern Virginia patients and families,” said Dr. Motew. “This specialized postacute service was not previously offered in this region, requiring patients to be transferred to facilities in Charlottesville, Richmond or out of state. I’m thrilled that Inova is continuing to find innovative ways to deliver seamless care for patients.”
Inova’s recent growth is due in part to generous donors such as Northern Virginia community members Dwight and Martha Schar, whose philanthropic gift allowed for the expansion of Inova Schar Heart and Vascular. The Schars have challenged the community to join them in matching their generosity, as they believe every gift to Inova is a gift to the community.
“Community donors support our mission and vision for providing world-class healthcare,” said Dr. Jones. “Their contributions are revolutionizing healthcare in our community, and we are grateful for their confidence in Inova.”
Making the grade with Inova’s patient-focused approach
In the midst of these developments, Inova has achieved new heights as a health system. In August 2023, U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings recognized Inova Fairfax Hospital as the number one hospital in Virginia and the Washington, DC, metropolitan area for the third consecutive year.
All five Inova hospitals also received A grades in hospital safety from The Leapfrog Group, an independent organization that evaluates nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country on how well they keep patients safe from harm.
“They are clearly among the leaders in the country on delivering safe care to their patients and putting the patients first.”
– Leah Binder, CEO of Leapfrog Group
Leah Binder, CEO of Leapfrog Group, said offering these grades publicly can help patients make informed decisions about what hospitals they choose.
“The third leading cause of death is preventable errors or accidents in hospitals,” said Binder. “Leapfrog hires teams of researchers and experts on patient safety who look at the available data from hospitals around 30 measures of safety, ranging from infection rates to surgical problems and complications.”
Patients can find these safety grades at HospitalSafetyGrade.org, where they’ll find that Inova performs far better than the national average when it comes to avoiding harmful events such as postsurgical infections and medication errors.
“What I see with Inova is a system where there are no compromises around patients,” said Binder. “They are clearly among the leaders in the country on delivering safe care to their patients and putting the patients first.”
A new brand and a nod to the future
To build on the success of the past five years, Dr. Jones worked with Tracey Schroeder, the Chief Communications and External Affairs Officer for Inova, to develop a new look that better represents the brand and elevates consumer understanding of the excellence of care that patients can expect.
“As we reached this pivotal point in our journey, we recognized that now is the time to launch the new brand as a visible signal of our transformation,” said Jones.
Schroeder said the new logo, which depicts two figures coming together, represents the fact that “every step of the healthcare journey is taken together, whether it’s a provider comforting a patient, a doctor collaborating with a nurse or family member supporting a loved one.”
“We preserved the recognizable blue in the new brand to build on strong brand equity,” said Schroeder. “But we also updated the full color palette to include vibrant new colors that signal Inova’s new direction as a modern health system that continues to bring innovation and expert care to every patient in every community we serve.”
The rebrand comes as Inova continues to expand and build new care sites to meet the growing healthcare needs of the area, including its eastern region development plan for Alexandria, Mount Vernon and Franconia-Springfield.
“The brand refresh is a signal to the community of what they can expect from Inova now and into the future: the rare combination of clinical excellence and compassionate care,” said Schroeder. “Quality care, exceptional health outcomes and a caring patient experience are what our patients value and depend on.”
Learn more about Inova: inova.org.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLCzscCtoK%2Bdl6e8tryOoqWorpFktq%2B71ZpknJ2cmq%2BzrdOeqmaemauybsXEmqmsZZ%2BberW%2BwKeqn6eioq61tc6nZLChpJ16onnNnq5mmqKWu6V7