“It’s an economic decision,” said County Commissioner Wendy Jacobs. “A rebranding to get more of the market share.”

Durham Regional Hospital administrators and trustees made their case for a name change in one-on-one meetings with all five county commissioners and at a commissioners work session this week. A decision is due at Monday’s regular commissioners’ meeting.

Duke University Health Systems has managed the county-owned hospital since 1998. Durham Regional CEO Kerry Watson said that, while both hospitals are highly rated, the “Durham Regional” name “does not translate into recognition of the hospital as part of Duke.”

Opinion surveys of Durham County residents, particularly those new to the area, showed a distinct preference for Duke over Durham Regional as their hospital of choice, according to a summary presentation on the name change.

“There really were a lot of good reasons to support this change,” said Commissioner Michael Page.

In 2012, U.S. News and World Report magazine rated Duke the best hospital in North Carolina and Durham Regional fifth. But, Page said, there remains a perception that regional and community hospitals do not deliver the same standard of service as research hospitals such as Duke.

“From a marketing standpoint, it’s really important to stay competitive and make sure our name is recognized,” Page said.

Kathleen Galbraith, chief of hospital operations, acknowledged possible confusion over having two “Duke” hospitals in Durham but said administrators tested three names with focus groups: “Durham Regional,” “Duke Regional” and “Duke-Durham Regional.”

“By far, ‘Duke Regional Hospital’ was felt to be a name that conveyed what we wanted,” she said.

At the same time, Galbraith and Jacobs said, it was important to emphasize the hospital’s “regional” nature and history. For that reason, the proposed masthead for “Duke Regional Hospital” includes the motto, “Serving the community since 1976.”

“We all expressed concern it stays true to its mission as a community hospital,” said Jacobs. “We really didn’t want to lose ‘regional.’”