Web Development
Pipeline Health is a national healthcare brand tying together 7 hospital systems across the United States. Their team of healthcare leaders is singularly focused on empowering communities to live the healthiest lives possible through passion, innovation, compassion, integrity, and resilience.
The Challenge
Pipeline Health operated seven separate hospital websites, each with its own layout, CMS, and maintenance process. This fragmented ecosystem created inconsistencies in branding, uneven user experiences, and operational inefficiencies. Marcel Digital was tasked with unifying all locations under a single, cohesive digital presence while thoughtfully reimagining the user journey to make it easier for patients to find the information and care they need.
Fragmented Website Ecosystem
Seven independently managed hospital sites led to inconsistent layouts, content structures, and brand experiences.
Disjointed User Experience
Patients struggled to navigate differing site designs and find essential information quickly and reliably.
Need for a Unified, Patient-Centered Platform
Pipeline Health required a consolidated digital presence that simplified navigation, strengthened brand cohesion, and offered faster access to care across all locations.
The Analysis
Marcel Digital began with a thorough discovery process to understand the challenges Pipeline Health faced across its various hospital and system websites. Through stakeholder interviews, content reviews, and structural analysis, the team identified key pain points and opportunities for improvement that would guide the redesign.
Stakeholder Insights & Information Architecture Development
The team conducted interviews with leadership and internal stakeholders to pinpoint core frustrations with the existing sites. These insights informed the creation of a new Information Architecture and an improved navigational structure designed to better organize content and simplify the user journey.
Collaborative Content Planning With the Marketing Team
As the project progressed, marketing team members were brought in to help shape content, refine messaging, and weigh in on page layout decisions. Their feedback ensured the new site structure accurately represented each hospital’s needs and communicated effectively with both current and prospective patients.
Data-Backed Decision-Making Through On-Page Analytics
On-page analytics were used throughout the process to identify engagement patterns, navigation bottlenecks, and areas of user friction. These insights played a key role in shaping a user-centric website built from the ground up to support patient needs and improve overall usability.
The Solution
To create an incredible solution that best addressed user needs, we reimagined the user experience to provide current and prospective patients better access to information and resources.
Enhancing the Patient Experience
We reimagined the user experience to give current and prospective patients easier access to information and care.
Modernized page layouts using UX best practices
Added clear engagement points and calls-to-action
Simplified paths to key resources and contact options
Empowering Marketing Teams
We built an efficient, governed editing environment to support fast, accurate updates across all locations.
Created a new, intuitive editing experience
Established structured user roles and approval workflows
Streamlined publishing processes for consistency and control
Executing a Strategic SEO Migration
With six locations merging into one ecosystem, we implemented an SEO-focused approach to preserve visibility and authority.
Developed a comprehensive migration strategy
Applied best-practice site structure and redirect planning
Set up the unified site for long-term SEO success
The Results
By launching a cohesive ecosystem and modernizing both the user journey and internal workflows, the health system saw meaningful improvements across engagement, operations, and recognition.
User Experience + Engagement Improved
Users interacted with the site more easily and effectively thanks to cleaner layouts, intuitive navigation, and a more consistent design across all locations. Engagement increased, and organic traffic grew over time due to stronger page structure and a successful SEO migration.
Operational Efficiency Increased
Editors gained a more flexible, governed environment that allowed them to update content quickly and accurately. This improved productivity and reduced turnaround times for site changes.
National Recognition Achieved
The transformed digital ecosystem earned the 2021 IMA Outstanding Achievement Award in both the Hospital and Healthcare categories, highlighting the impact of the work and the strength of the unified experience.
