What can’t break in a broken healthcare system

One of the few things Americans can agree on today that healthcare is failing both patients and providers. More than 70% of Americans say the system doesn’t meet their needs. Nearly half of health workers are burnt out, and 44% are considering leaving their jobs. Cuts to public health resources only add fuel to the fire.

The real danger? That the very people who provide care and innovation give in to despair and the system unravels further. The problems no one likes to talk about such as fractured culture, disengaged employees, leadership misalignment, are the hidden diagnoses behind the crisis. They quietly drain energy, undermine performance, and stall progress. And yet, they are the very levers that can transform the system when brand and culture are harnessed with intent.

Standing out in a room full of heroes

In healthcare, the word “hero” isn’t metaphor. But in the rush to claim heroism, most organizations blur into one another, with interchangeable mission statements and indistinguishable brands.

ScionHealth faced this exact challenge. Built from dozens of hospitals, from rural community facilities to urban specialty centers, it risked becoming a mismatched collection of assets. To be more than just another healthcare group, it needed a story that empowered those who matter most: caregivers.

The result? A purpose rooted in a simple, sharp truth: “To empower the hands that heal to do what they do best.”

By putting caregivers at the center, ScionHealth created clarity for leaders, belonging for employees, and distinction in a crowded market. The payoff was immediate alignment across the leadership team and recognition from staff that they were not just part of a system, but the heart of it.

When rapid growth threatens culture

M&A may build scale, but it often shatters culture. The familiar refrain from multi-site providers is telling: “We have 100 roofs with 100 cultures” or “the culture depends on the physician.” Without a unifying story, resentment festers, and the promise of growth erodes.

Confluent Health knew this all too well. With 50+ physical therapy brands and four distinct business units, fragmentation was the norm. The enterprise was bigger than the sum of its parts, but no one could feel it.

Through deep engagement across the network, the unifying force became clear: impact. On individuals. On businesses. On communities. On the economy. The brand idea – “We make you stronger” – cut through the complexity. It resonated across audiences, aligned executives, and gave employees a simple, human truth to rally around.

As their CMO put it, Brandpie delivered “a complete brand identity that is simple, powerful, and lasting.” Transformation wasn’t just promised; it was lived.

When culture is your secret weapon

Sometimes the sharpest advantage hides in plain sight. Chartis, a leading healthcare consultancy, had the credibility, the results, and the expertise. But what truly set them apart was invisible to the market: a culture of optimism.

Not arrogance. Not hype. But a grounded confidence born from two decades of materially improving healthcare outcomes. Clients saw it. Employees lived it. But the brand didn’t say it.

We distilled this essence into a single belief: “Believe in better.” More than a slogan, it became a signal of conviction that systemic challenges can be overcome and progress is always possible. With this reframed identity, Chartis turned cultural strength into market distinction, gaining a platform for growth built on optimism as much as expertise.

The soft stuff isn’t soft

In healthcare, the scarcest resource isn’t funding, data, or even technology. It’s human energy. And that’s precisely why culture, brand, and leadership alignment, often dismissed as “soft”, are in fact hard drivers of performance.

• Engaged employees deliver safer care, stronger patient experience, and lower turnover.
• Aligned leaders make decisions faster and with conviction.
• Authentic culture gives meaning when bureaucracy feels overwhelming.

Identity, too, is decisive. It shapes the answer when patients, employees, or acquisition targets weigh their choices: Should I go here or there? Yet too often, organizations fail to sharpen that identity, leaving brand equity and cultural power untapped.

What cannot break

Healthcare won’t be saved by policy or technology alone. Its resilience lies in aligning business strategy with brand and culture. That’s what unleashes energy, renews commitment, and strengthens organizations for the long run.

At its best, healthcare is an act of service: caregivers fighting for patients, organizations fighting for communities, innovators fighting disease. As Florence Nightingale said: “I never gave or took an excuse.”

Despite a broken system, that same refusal to give in endures. The danger is not that healthcare is under strain – it always has been. The danger is that we allow the human energy, culture, and purpose that sustain it to fracture. That is the one thing we cannot afford to let break.