Crisis Communication Management in Healthcare: A Discussion with Eileen Wixted from Wixted & Co.

Episode Date: January 9, 2024

In this episode of Stark Integrity, Eileen Wixted, Principal at Wixted & Co., shares a practical and timely perspective on crisis communication in healthcare—an area where compliance, operations, and leadership all converge.

As Wixted emphasizes, every organization will eventually face a crisis.

The real differentiator is how you respond.

“If You Have Bad News—Share It Yourself”

One of the clearest takeaways from Eileen Wixted’s discussion is a simple but powerful principle:

Own the message.

In a crisis:

• Delaying communication creates speculation
• Letting others define the narrative creates risk
• Avoiding transparency erodes trust

As highlighted in the episode, organizations must step forward early, speak clearly, and take responsibility for communication.

Response Is Everything

Wixted reinforces that crisis communication is not just about the event—it’s about the response to the event.

Effective organizations:

• Define communication goals quickly
• Align internal and external messaging
• Respond proactively—not reactively

This approach builds trust with stakeholders and helps stabilize situations before they escalate.

Truth and Transparency Build Trust

A consistent theme in the discussion is the importance of:

• Truthfulness
• Transparency
• Clarity

In healthcare, where emotions and stakes are high, communication must be:

• Timely
• Accurate
• Honest about both what is known—and what is not

Research and best practices confirm that transparency and timely communication are essential for maintaining public trust and reducing confusion during crises.

The Compliance Connection

While crisis communication may feel like a “communications” issue, this episode highlights its deep connection to compliance.

Poor communication can:

• Increase legal exposure
• Undermine regulatory credibility
• Escalate operational issues

Strong communication, on the other hand:

• Supports compliance efforts
• Reinforces accountability
• Helps demonstrate good-faith response

In many cases, how an organization communicates can be just as important as what actually happened.

Preparation Matters

Wixted also emphasizes the need for planning before a crisis occurs.

Organizations should:

• Develop crisis communication strategies in advance
• Train leadership on messaging
• Align communication with operational response

Because in a crisis:

You don’t rise to the occasion—you fall to your level of preparation.

Final Thoughts

This conversation with Eileen Wixted of Wixted & Co. reinforces a critical leadership principle:

Crisis communication is not optional—it is mission critical.

In high-risk, high-visibility situations, organizations are judged by:

• Their transparency
• Their clarity
• Their willingness to lead

And as this episode makes clear:

If you don’t tell your story—someone else will.

Click here to listen to this Stark Integrity Podcast Episode:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crisis-communication-management-in-healthcare-a/id1588939373?i=1000641126345&l=fr-FR