A Study of the Relationship between Hospital Choice and Hospital Brand Image in Central Taiwan

[[abstract]]In the early years, the functions of the most hospi tals are as the non-profi table, service-oriented and less business-compet it ive organizations, pat ients knew less about the medical treatment and the high price medicine is also as a t reatment obstacle. Since the National Health Insurance program was implemented f rom March 1995 by the government, the medical t reatment ecosystem revolut ion started. The choices of pat ients to be treated are versat ile.These changes pushed inst itute of medicines to come out some hospital management ideas, how to establish hospi tal branding image and how to att ract and serve more patients. Let a hospi tal can be a service business and last forever, now is became an important subject for the hospital manager to think about. The purpose of this research is to study the characterist ics of people, the relationship between their medical seeking behavior and their hospi tal choice. Whether di fferent medical seeking behavior will affect their hospital choice and what hospital brand image stands for to them. Analyze the relat ionship between hospital choice elements and hospi tal branding image according to the resul t of this research. Our sampling objects are the pat ients of those hospi tals located at the cent ral Taiwan including 4 medical centers, 3 regional hospitals, 8 local hospitals, and many Out -Pat ient Departments ?Medical Surgical?Obstetrics ?. Total 484 questionnai res are good and in effective. The research results show that people medical seeking behavior williv relate to thei r job, educat ion background and by what vehicle they go to hospi tal. The relationship between cluster of hospital choice and the cluster of hospi tal branding image is analyzed by using simple-regression analysis. Af ter verificat ion, the relationship is very obvious and t ied. So that this research resul ts will provide as reference for hospital managers to plan the direct ion of thei r hospital management and competi tive st rategy