Did you know University Health System (UHS) is the top-ranked hospital in the San Antonio metro area, one of the best hospitals in the country in two specialties (urology and nephrology), and the only Level 1 trauma center in South Texas? Few people noticed these amazing achievements and the array of services this public hospital and teaching facility – a world-class healthcare institution located in the heart of San Antonio that cares for thousands of indigent and emergency cases every year – accomplishes for its community every day. These facts were hidden behind a website sorely in need of an update. Understanding that the web is the first place people look for information about a healthcare institution required an approach that gave equal weight to the many services UHS provides its wide variety of constituents, from emergency patients to healthcare professionals looking for a job. Among the challenges esd faced:
Unlike other business entities that are narrower in scope and function, the real challenge – and solution – for esd was reorganizing vast amounts of information with a scope that articulated the entirety of the UHS brand attractively and cohesively. A great deal of collaboration and open communication between esd, several medical institutions, and numerous department leaders from University Hospital, all UHS affiliates, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio were required to create a robust website that speaks to a wide range of professional constituencies, as well as gives patients everything they need to find a location, choose a physician, and pay their bill, all online.
