I recently read all the nasty brand hitting Burson-Marsteller is taking on behalf of its new client, Texas Health Presbyterian. Wow, what some PR agents have to go through.
Typically, medical clients are a hard sell for the publicity teams who represent them. But, it doesn't have to be this way. In life, there are always exceptions to the rule. While Burson-Marsteller has an uphill battle for its client (which hired a PR firm way late in the game), all is not lost.
I'm sure Burson-Marsteller is going to implement these two rules (below), so why am I sharing them with you? Well, they are PR secrets that only season professionals implement during a time of crisis. Since this is a learning blog, it is important for me to share with both clients and professionals what steps need to be taken during these situations.
First, state a positive position on non-paying clients. Why? Well, there are already racist accusations and poor-hating statements on social media. The medical group needs to make a public statement on how it handles patients with no insurance and cite examples of its quality-control committee reviews in relation to paying (insured) and non-paying patients. This is damage control 101.
Second, host a town hall meeting with employees. Reporters are going to seek out employees to comment. Smart reporters are not going to the PR firm at this point. They want quotes - even if anonymous- to support sensationalized headlines. Reporters will find disgruntled employees to speak with before contacting the medical firm's pr team. A town hall meeting can help address what would happen if non-aligned statements or concerns leak to the media before internal resources.
Cover ups shouldn't happen, but accidents do. Handling these situations from a media perspective can be a challenge. Remember, control the message and accentuate the positives.
Until Monday,
Velma Trayham
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