The
decision has been made to merge, affiliate, consolidate or whatever
the going term. Two more physician practices are joining the throngs
of others who realize that times are changing and there is safety
(and most probably, great financial security) in numbers.
Now that it's YOUR practice that's
a changin', keep communications high on your priority list.
Yes, physicians tend to be good communicators. Yes, they are great
at one-on-one patient communications. However, a practice consolidation
will involve knowledge about PMS colors, not Premenstrual Syndrome.
That means that unless the practice
employs someone whose second language includes things like dpi,
media strategies and arbitron ratings, find a consultant.
Physicians who haven't been there,
done that…shouldn't. Why risk miss-communicating the biggest
change in a practice that may have taken a lifetime to build?
Tip
#1: What to look for in a professional
Engage
the services of a professional marketing communications consultant
who has experience with mergers and acquisitions. Ask if the firm
offers full-service marketing. This includes marketing and communications
planning and all aspects of public relations and advertising.
Don't just settle for someone who can create a logo or a firm
that specializes in ad campaigns. Invest in a professional service
that truly provides full service, not just catchy ad headlines
that aren't results-oriented.
Here's what to look for in a sound, effective communications plan.
Tip #2: Focus on Employees
Employees
are the medical practice's top communications priority. The office
staff is the most important audience. This is where patient retention
begins.
The office staff will successfully
implement new policies and procedures. They will answer patient
questions either with reservation or enthusiasm. Their facial
expressions and voice tones will transmit positive or negative
impressions about the new merger to patients.
When communicating with the office
staff, don't hesitate to transmit the tough messages. People want
to know. Who will lead? Who will leave? Who will perform what
job? How will the new practice deal with duplicate functions?
Make the tough decisions and communicate them honestly.
Effective employee communications
will rally the new team quickly and move them to action. Each
person wants to know how the consolidation will effect him or
her. Armed with answers to those questions, they will move along
in the process much more easily.
A communications plan that shortchanges
employees dooms the practice to a rocky start.
Tip #3: Identify all Audiences
Employees
are top priority because they are first in line to communicate
with patients. However, there are other key groups who need to
hear the news.
A good communications plan addresses
the needs of all audiences. Plans should address both internal
and external audiences.
Tip #4: The
Timeline is Essential
Make
sure your key audiences hear it from you first! Repeat this again
and again; the point cannot be over-emphasized.
For example, bank employees who
are expected to sell a new product shouldn't read about the product
first in the local newspaper. Don't expect people to accept change
unless they get the facts as early as possible and straight from
the source. Make people feel part of the process, and they will
be more apt to buy into change.
How critical is tip #4? In the case
of one bank, employees who heard about the change from their customers,
not their employer, silently boycotted the new product. The product
died a natural death in about eight months. Management's time
and money for research and development were wasted.
When key announcements are made,
such as news that may impact stock prices, carefully developed
timelines are required. NASDAQ, for example, required its members
to notify them 15 minutes before releasing public information
when I was working in that arena a few years ago. Little details
such as this avoid large problems such as insider trading.
Tip #5: Little
Things Really Do Matter
Don't
overlook little things that matter the most to employees and patients.
Yes, details about benefits and job security are vital to employees.
But some staff members shed tears over the loss of cultural habits
such as birthday kitties and parking spaces they have had for
years.
People will switch physicians over
seemingly little things such as having their weight announced
out loud when they step on a hallway scale.
A good communications plan helps
make audiences as comfortable as possible with change. An attention
to detail is important. Thing things through . . . up to the smallest
detail.
Tip #6: Be Honest
Seems
so basic. Yet organizations grapple each day with exactly how
much truth to release to various audiences. There really is nothing
to balance. The smartest managers know that half-truths or even
lack of information lead to rumors and negativism.
This includes the use of euphemisms.
Remember Vietnam and don't call a war a police action. Don't call
a buy-out a partnership. Don't hide behind words such as "reconfiguration
of staffing" or "rightsizing" when "layoff"
is the real word because real people will be standing in unemployment
lines.
In The Reeingineering Revolution, Hammer and Stanton write: "…Get
ahead of the anxiety curve with an early announcement. Information
is always better than uncertainty. Taking the unprecedented step
of telling the truth and treating employees like adults will earn
management an unprecedented degree of respect and credibility."
Tip #7: Say
it Again, Sam!
One
study indicates that people need to hear one point eight times
before they "get it." The rule of thumb is to say make
the point at least three times to each audience. Repetition is
important to an effective communications program.
Communicate frequently. Especially to internal audiences.
Tip #8: Control
the Media
Proactive
media relations will allow the new physician practice to scoop
the press and control the timing and message with regard to TV
and newspaper.
As Donald W. Seymour writes in Hospitals
and Health Networks, "Mergers are news, and it's appropriate
that they attract attention. Critical to the acceptance of the
merger in the community is a media plan for disseminating factual
information and putting the merger in a favorable light."
Press releases are mechanisms by which communications professionals
talk with the media. An effective communications plan should address
the media's role.
Tip #9: Planning
ABC's
Physicians
know the essential steps of medicine: history, physical, diagnosis,
treatment and follow-up. Similarly, these are the essential steps
of a good marketing communications plan: situation analysis, goals,
objectives, action plan and timeline. Qualified professionals
avoid paralysis of analysis, but deliver reports that clearly
indicate a well-thought-out strategy. Yes, less is best…especially
for a physician whose reading time is limited. However, a plan
that lacks these basic elements may be lacking in results.
Tip #10: Integrate the Plan
A
communications plan must complement the practice's business and
strategic plans. It should be an action plan that is based on
the practice's business goals and that outlines how the practice
will achieve those goals. A sound communications plan supports
the practice's short and long-term objectives.
Beth
Ann Lombardi served as a director of corporate marketing and communications
in both the banking and healthcare industries for 17 years before
opening her own consulting firm.
She has helped engineer more than a dozen mergers and acquisitions,
has been responsible for more than two dozen successful product
introductions and branch office openings, and has overseen four
major corporate name changes.
Ad
tips
that can save you money!
This client needed a
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a BIG deal; the ad needed to be BIG.
Impact
Communications saved the client hundreds of dollars
by making the ad 5 columns by 8 inches, rather than a full 6 columns.
(A full page is 6 columns.)
The ad DOMINATES the
newspaper page, but at a considerable cost savings! (In
this case, 8 column inches of cost savings per run!)
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