When a hospital finds itself in the midst of a crisis, one action should be left out of the communication plan: pointing fingers. In a post for the Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock blog High Stakes, Anne Hancock Toomey wrote patients, employees, physicians and the public are more likely to judge an organization based on how it handled the crisis more than the substance of the crisis.
There are still ways hospitals can protect their reputation without acting defensively or immaturely. Ms. Toomey recommended the following steps:
1. Respond personally and credibly. Hospitals should use the appropriate sources in their response to the crisis. If it's a clinical issue, get physicians involved in your response. Do not turn to a cookie-cutter statement.
2. Own the message. Discuss what the hospital is proud of and don't be afraid to acknowledge that there's room for improvement. "You know your services and products better than anyone," wrote Ms. Toomey. "Make a real case if you have data or other information that tells a different story."
3. Focus on what you're doing to address the issue. Don't go on about the accusations any more than you have to, but elaborate on what the hospital is doing next. Maybe it's an internal investigation or a change in care processes.
4. Do not blame competitors. "It will get you exactly nowhere," said Ms. Toomey. In the blog post, she mentioned one medical device company entrenched in a patient safety crisis. The company issued a press release also accusing its competitors of killing patients — a communications blunder, according to the post.
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There are still ways hospitals can protect their reputation without acting defensively or immaturely. Ms. Toomey recommended the following steps:
1. Respond personally and credibly. Hospitals should use the appropriate sources in their response to the crisis. If it's a clinical issue, get physicians involved in your response. Do not turn to a cookie-cutter statement.
2. Own the message. Discuss what the hospital is proud of and don't be afraid to acknowledge that there's room for improvement. "You know your services and products better than anyone," wrote Ms. Toomey. "Make a real case if you have data or other information that tells a different story."
3. Focus on what you're doing to address the issue. Don't go on about the accusations any more than you have to, but elaborate on what the hospital is doing next. Maybe it's an internal investigation or a change in care processes.
4. Do not blame competitors. "It will get you exactly nowhere," said Ms. Toomey. In the blog post, she mentioned one medical device company entrenched in a patient safety crisis. The company issued a press release also accusing its competitors of killing patients — a communications blunder, according to the post.
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