Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services is dropping “M Health” from its name following an organizational restructuring and a consumer-driven push to refocus on its “roots,” a marketing leader told Becker’s.
M Health Fairview said in January it would rebrand in 2027 upon switching from a joint clinical enterprise with Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota to an academic affiliation. Before combining with the university in 2019, the health system was called Fairview Health Services.
“After a lot of exploration, we made the decision to really reground the system in its roots as Fairview … and really reconnect the relationships that we’ve built and the equity that we have in the community,” said Chris Lawrence, chief marketing and brand officer of Fairview Health Services. “Fairview is much more than just our relationship with the University of Minnesota.”
Fairview, often just going by the single moniker, has started rolling out its refreshed brand across the web, social media and ambulances. The new logo moves away from the University of Minnesota’s signature maroon and gold, with softer lettering and a more “humanistic” feel, as Mr. Lawrence put it.
The 10-hospital system surveyed 1,600 households on what drives care decisions in the Twin Cities. Tight relationships with providers, being treated with dignity, and easy access led the way. Consumers, Mr. Lawrence said, “really wanted that closer connection to the community again, while still having access to the best and brightest when you need them.” The roughly $8 billion organization has locations around the state beyond the Minneapolis academic medical center, which Fairview acquired from the university in 1997.
“Certainly, a connection to academic medicine is important, and we’re pleased and proud that’s a big part of our value proposition,” Mr. Lawrence said. “But we really want to be rooted in human-centered care, and that establishes an opportunity for us to come in and reground ourselves in the work that we’ve been doing for over 100 years — and all of that is led by Fairview.”
Fairview has also engaged its more than 34,000 staffers in the branding process over the past 18 months. “We have been committed to doing that thoughtfully and collaboratively with employees so that when we flip and have new signage and new branding, our employees aren’t having to learn it on the run,” he said. “They’ve really been a part of the journey and can really help to seamlessly navigate it that way.”
Without citing specific figures, Mr. Lawrence said there will be a “significant investment” in changing things such as signs, websites and badges. But the return is expected to come through improvements in financial performance, brand recognition, and patient and employee experience.
Fairview plans to ramp up external communications and marketing in the fourth quarter of 2026 to get people ready for the Jan. 1 switch.
“Not only a lot of our people, but a lot of people in the community were born in a Fairview hospital. We just haven’t really marketed that brand in quite some time,” Mr. Lawrence said. “So there’ll be a bit of a reintroduction and recommitting to that role that we’ve played in the community.”
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