Section 2.

1 Plan

Communication Plan
Regular communication with all stakeholder groups helps reduce the uncertainty inherent in adopting Health Information Technology (HIT),
and engages all stakeholders. Build your Communication Plan using this template.

Time needed: 4 hours to start – ongoing maintenance of the plan

Suggested other tools: NA

Introduction-Why Communication Planning is So Important

Regular communication with all stakeholders about new or major events helps reduce the uncertainty about the changes. Engage all
stakeholders at the appropriate level of participation in planning, implementing, and identifying opportunities for improvement.
In small behavioral health clinics or centers it may seem like overkill to develop a communication plan. However, too often, key pieces of
information get lost in the daily scramble of seeing clients, paying bills, and maintaining the existing IT infrastructure. When you develop a
written plan and make sure you check off completed tasks, you reduce the risk of miscommunication. By creating and following a plan, you
can be sure that every member of the organization has appropriate awareness, interest, knowledge, and engagement in the project.
The major theme of the communication plan is CHANGE. As soon as the need for change arises, you should begin to build awareness. As
the vision for the change unfolds, creating desire for the change or outcome helps turn uncertainty into interest. Throughout the planning
process, stakeholders need to become more knowledgeable about the change in order to make decisions. During implementation,
stakeholders need to understand change as it is happening and promote celebrating the change. Communication does not end with
implementation, since implementation is only the end of the beginning. The road to meaningful and effective use is a continuous one, and
success will require regular and consistent communication.
 What are steps or phases of your project
 Who needs to know about what topics
 When and how frequently (especially for recurring communication tasks like team updates)
Consider the various types of communication: awareness building, decision making, project progress and updates, advisories, reminders,
encouragement and celebration of milestone achievements. Some communications are two-way, such as meetings, phone calls, and
discussions, but many are one-way, including the organization’s website, email, memos, bulletin boards, newsletters, and even social
networking sites such as Facebook. One-way communication lacks an immediate feedback mechanism, so plan ways to obtain feedback. Be
sure to communicate using plain language, not “techie-speak.”

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Step-by-Step Instructions
Build your communication plan using the template supplied below. Keep in mind, this is only a template, the stakeholder groups and
individuals with whom you need to communicate will be different based on your organization’s needs. The value of the template is in the
columns, which help you organize your communication efforts. The types of messages you place in the rows depend on your practice.
Perhaps the most important column is the one labeled Done? A communication plan that isn’t implemented is a complete waste of time.
We have filled in a few samples for each of the project’s phases. The examples may or may not pertain to you. Remember the value of
communication is in its relevance to the people who it affects. Random blah-blah is tuned out. Specific information about our lives and the
way in which we work is usually heard through the din.
Here are the steps to complete:
 Assemble the team of people who will build and implement the plan. In the case of a small clinic this might be one or two. In a
larger organization, decide on a sub-team of 3 -5 people
 Hold a brainstorming session to identify all the constituents and stakeholders with whom you will need to communicate. Some
examples include:
o physicians, PAs, RNs, LPNs, NPs, other providers
o “Super Users” (individuals who have experience and/or aptitude with technology and have learned how to use it), team
members, IT support staff
o your steering committee, administrative staff
o your project sponsor and board of directors
o clients, the community that you serve,etc.
 This list of constituents will populate the To Whom column of your plan
 For each of the constituents, brainstorm a list of concerns, issues, and other types of project-specific updated/information they will
need or want to know. (Remember to think especially hard about the worries and concerns people will have.) Effective
communication addresses emotions as well as facts.
 The hardest step – for each concern/issue/informational topic, create a response. Note that:
o For the plan, you don’t have to write out the entire response. Instead, note the content of the response. You can leave the
final details of the message to the person who will deliver it.
o If you have brainstormed many issues and many constituents, you don’t have to complete this step for all issues. Instead,
make sure you address the most urgent – either the issues that will come up soonest, or the issues that have the greatest
emotional impact. Since you will revisit the communication plan every couple of months, you can add the less urgent or
immediate messages to your plan later.

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  This list of responses will populate the Key Messages column.
NOTE: You may already realize that the communication planning process is iterative. At this early stage you won’t know
everything all the constituents need or want to know. So, you will need to return to the plan at least every two months. The
constituents probably won’t change much – some may drop out and you may realize you’ve identified some new ones – but the
messages will change.
 For each Key Message/To Whom combination assign a From Whom person. In general, the most appropriate person would be the
one with the most influence with the specific audience, who will actually have the time to do it! (If you assign all your
communication to the clinical director, chances are it won’t all get done). Spread the tasks around, but make sure the person who
delivers the most important messages is well respected and highly placed in the organization.
 For each Key Message/To Whom combination, determine a Medium for the message. Email may be appropriate for many routine
advisory and project updates, whereas an in-person weekly or monthly meeting is better for decision making or consensus.
Communication to clients may include handouts in your reception area or even signage. Don’t forget piggybacking on existing
methods of communication, such as internal and external newsletters, the organization’s website, and social networking sites.
 Determine a date when the communication should go out. Fill this in the Date column
The first iteration of your communication plan is complete!

Planning Is Wasted Effort without Implementation

As mentioned above, the most important step comes after planning – you need to follow the plan. The project manager should check to see
that communication messages go out as planned. When they are complete, put a check mark in the final column. Review progress on the
plan at each team meeting. Review past communication activities:
 Were they completed on time?
 How were they received?
 What could we do better?
Periodically (at least every two months) revise the plan. Add new topics and update any that are ongoing. Make sure you are addressing the
real concerns of the people in your organization.

Communication Plan Template with Sample Activities

Note: depending on organization size and structure, “CEO” can mean Chief Executive Officer, Clinic Administrator, or Office Manager
Key Message To Whom From Whom Medium Date Done?
All Project Phases
Weekly project status Team members Project Manager Team Meeting Throughout EHR project

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Key Message To Whom From Whom Medium Date Done?
Monthly organizational update All staff, management, Project Manager As appropriate Throughout EHR project
Board (email/meeting/intern
al web site, etc.)
Assess Phase
The organization is interested in HIT Board of directors CEO Meeting Fill in date based on
and/or EHR Meaningful Use, and we your project plan
want board support
The organization knows we have to All staff CEO Various: all staff Fill in date based on
adopt an electronic record to better meeting, newsletters, your project plan
serve our clients and remain supervisor
competitive in our market communications,
other means within
your organization
Who will lead our HIT project? These All staff CEO Various: all staff Fill in date based on
are the “go-to” people. Our project meeting, newsletters, your project plan
manager is <name> and our “provider supervisor
champion” is <name> communications,
other means within
your organization
Plan Phase
HIT means (fill in meaning for HIT steering committee Chair of project Various educational Fill in date based on
organization) clinical and therapeutic staff steering committee programs your project plan
Front line supervisors
Here are some concerns we’ve heard Clinical staff Lead Therapist/Lead Lunch and learn Fill in date based on
about EHRs and how we plan to clinician Project roundtable your project plan
address them. champion discussions

Select Phase
We are holding a vendor fair/in-house All staff Lead Therapist/Lead Memo or newsletter Fill in date based on
demos and want everyone to clinician Project your project plan
participate and complete score card champion
Project manager
Vendor has been selected and we Board of directors HIT steering Meeting Fill in date based on
seek approval to begin contract committee Approval request your project plan
negotiation
These are the terms of the contract Board of directors CEO Meeting Fill in date based on
and we request approval to sign Approval request your project plan
Implement and Optimize Phase

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 Key Message To Whom From Whom Medium Date Done?
Here is an overview of the All staff CEO Site and department Fill in date based on
implementation plan and how it will Lead Therapist/Lead meetings your project plan
impact each stakeholder group clinician Project Newsletter
champion
Project manager
We seek representatives to participate Clinical and therapeutic staff CEO Personal Fill in date based on
on implementation teams and domain Department managers Lead Therapist/Lead communications with your project plan
teams. Front line supervisors clinician Project applicable
champion counterparts
Project manager Organization chart for
project
We are constructing a new system to clients CEO Brochures Fill in date based on
manage your records and want you to Lead Therapist/Lead Web site your project plan
know what this is, how it will help you, clinician Project On-hold telephone
how secure it is, how it will affect you champion message for client
during implementation, and answer any Project manager care
questions. Each person with Article in local
client contact newspaper
Under construction
signs
We are the support team to help you All staff Project manager Hot line Fill in date based on
during go live Super users Badges, hats, coats, your project plan
or something else to
distinguish helpers
Ongoing Initiative
Continual process improvement—how Clinical and therapeutic staff Lead Therapist/Lead Informal feedback Fill in date based on
is it going? clinician Project User satisfaction your project plan
champion survey
Project manager Check-ins
Each person with
client contact CEO
Outcomes analysis—here are our Clinical and therapeutic staff CEO Meetings Fill in date based on
quality assurance results Report cards your project plan
Our next steps for HIT are (describe All staff CEO Newsletter Fill in date based on
based on your strategic plan) your project plan

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Copyright © 2014 Stratis Health. Updated 03-10-14

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