Pro Asset Protection

Attorney Ike Devji

  • Articles
  • Contact
  • Facts and FAQ’s
  • Asset Protection Attorney Ike Devji – Bio
  • Home
  • Off the Record
  • Reputation and Recognition

Negative Publicity: Crisis Management for Businesses, Medical Practices

October 27, 2015 by Ike Devji, Asset Protection Lawyer Leave a Comment

CRISISIssues in the news like the recent Ashley Madison data dump prove how negative publicity related to your practice or  the personal activities of any of its owners or employees, can have devastating effects on your professional reputation and financial solvency. Regardless of the cause, every business and medical practice owner and manager should understand some PR crisis management basics.

In our last discussion we provided some specific cautions about the news value and relative high profile doctors and medical practice executives present to the media. Something seemingly far removed, like a guided lion hunt in Africa or the recent discovery that a Canadian company sold tainted, counterfeit drugs to dozens of American oncology practices can literally shut a practice down if not handled the right way. There is no perfect PR playbook that’s universally applicable to every situation, so use the specific tips provided below as a starting point and adjust them accordingly to fit your specific facts. Accounting for the legal nature of the crisis, your local community and the specific title and relationship of the individuals involved to the practice are always prerequisites.

Is this a Legal Issue?

If the crisis involves criminal or civil legal liability, a good first step is to consult with the attorney representing you about any statements you may wish to make and how they suggest you should (or if you even can) address media inquires before making any verbal or written statements. What you may consider general, conversational statements can and will be used against you either in court or in the much harsher court of public opinion and may affect your rights. You should also discuss how this information should be shared with your staff and any specific guidelines your legal counsel suggests you inform them of.

Put The Right Person In charge

Appointing a qualified Information Officer (IO) is vital first step. The IO, whether a part of the practice or a third party is the official source of contact and information for the media and the public. Choose carefully, it may not always be the best idea to represent yourself in this capacity and having a third party may depersonalize the situation and add objectivity. A good IO is articulate, informed, and has the professional temperament and authority to answer specific questions on your behalf. Inform your staff and family of the IO and their role and ask them to politely refer questions to that person. During such a crisis employees should also be reminded of any confidentiality provisions outlined in your office’s employment manuals and handbooks , which we assume you have in place and which are custom drafted to include such vital provisions.

In some cases, if your attorney has the appropriate level of media savvy it may be appropriate to have her be your IO, especially in cases involving potential civil or criminal liability. In other cases, if the attorney is not comfortable in that role for any reason, it may be wise to hire a professional crisis management resource, like a PR agency that will have the skill set and media contacts to get the right story out there.

Have One Message and Be Consistent

Information that you control and have outlined should be disseminated only through the IO. Answer what you can. Neither you nor your staff should be perceived as evasive and honest answers like, “I don’t know, I can’t comment on the personal life of Dr. Jones, this is not an issue related to our practice,” or “I’m not authorized to speak on behalf of the practice on that issue”, are completely reasonable when true. Your message should also empathetically acknowledge harm or injury to third parties in a simple and factual way, as you would address any similar situation involving people you don’t know personally. “We are saddened and surprised to learn of the injury (accident, allegations, etc.) and hope the matter is resolved soon…”

Finally, when appropriate, control speculation and demands by the media and the public by providing accurate updates and identifying a realistic course of action or solutions being considered, but don’t make promises you can’t or are unlikely to keep. Communicating the right things at the right time coveys that you are working to resolve the issue and that you and your practice are deserving of the trust and position you previously held in the community, both personally and professionally.

This article was originally published in a different form at www.PhysiciansPractice.com, The Nation’s Leading Medical Practice Management Resource. The author, Ike Devji is an Asset Protection attorney with over a decade of experience in helping to protect thousands of HNW clients from a variety of risks and has written over 200 articles on related issues.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: business legal planning, business owner and entrepreneur, Business Owners, business survival, CEO, closely held business, Crisis Management Planning, Director and Officer Liability, Leadership & Management, Legal Strategies, Medical Practice Management, Medical Practice Risk Management, reputation management Tagged With: ashley madison, Asset Protection, crisis management, Ike Devji, medical practice management, professional reputation, public relations, social media usage

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

See Ike’s Work In Action

· Ike Devji on Acrimoney.com
· Ike Devji on CFO ADVISORS
· Ike Devji on Infosec Island
· Ike Devji on Risk and Threat Management

Money Matters Interview

Recent Posts

  • The Business Roundtable Podcast: Asset Protection
  • The Risks of Doing Business With Family Members
  • Campaign Contributions: What Business Owners Need to Know
  • Recession Asset Protection – Is My Bank Safe?
  • Asset Protection for Pain Management Doctors and Anesthesiologists

Categories

  • 2012 Economy (3)
  • 2013 Economy (3)
  • 2020 Recession (1)
  • 529 and College Savings Plans (1)
  • abusive tax schemes (13)
  • APT (3)
  • Arizona (19)
  • arizona anti-deficiency statutes (5)
  • Arizona Asset Protection (33)
  • arizona bankruptcy (4)
  • arizona economy (13)
  • Arizona Estate Planning (11)
  • arizona forclosure (8)
  • arizona real esate (12)
  • Asset Protection (174)
  • Asset Protection Education (16)
  • Asset Protection for Doctors (36)
  • Asset Protection for Your Home (7)
  • Asset Protection Fraud and Failures (22)
  • asset protection law (25)
  • asset protection strategies (42)
  • asset protection trusts (33)
  • Baby Boomers (5)
  • Banking and Bank Solvency (5)
  • Bankruptcy (8)
  • Best Money Market rates (1)
  • brokers (1)
  • Business Asset Protection (3)
  • business law (3)
  • business legal planning (72)
  • business owner and entrepreneur (15)
  • Business Owners (28)
  • business survival (48)
  • business valuation (6)
  • buy sell agreement (5)
  • captive insurance company (8)
  • Cars and Automobile Liability (4)
  • Cash Alernatives (2)
  • CEO (27)
  • children (8)
  • chiropractors (35)
  • CIO (1)
  • closely held business (30)
  • commercial real estate (8)
  • Coronavirus (2)
  • cpa (20)
  • creditor negotiation (4)
  • creditor protected cash alternatives (5)
  • Crisis Management Planning (7)
  • CTO (1)
  • DAPT (3)
  • debt (4)
  • deficiency judgment (2)
  • defined benefit plans (2)
  • dentists (57)
  • Director and Officer Liability (10)
  • disability insurance (2)
  • Divorce (5)
  • doctor sued (44)
  • Doctors (54)
  • Domestic Asset Protection Trusts (2)
  • Due Dilligence (11)
  • economy (9)
  • employee social media usage (3)
  • Employment law (25)
  • Entrepreneurs (5)
  • equity (1)
  • ESTATE MANAGEMENT (2)
  • estate planning (29)
  • estate tax (12)
  • estate taxes (3)
  • Expatriation (1)
  • face book (3)
  • family business (19)
  • Family Legal Planning (7)
  • family liability (11)
  • family limited partnership (4)
  • Family Office (8)
  • FAMILY OFFICE ISSUES (6)
  • FDIC Insurance Limits (2)
  • finacial advisors (7)
  • Finance (12)
  • financial advisors (23)
  • FINANCIAL ISSUES FOR DOCTORS (47)
  • financial literacy (56)
  • financing (6)
  • firearms (5)
  • forclosure (2)
  • foreclosure (3)
  • foreign bank accounts (7)
  • fraud (18)
  • fraudulent conveyance (3)
  • funding (3)
  • Geri Custer (1)
  • gifting (1)
  • Gifting – Wealth Transfer (4)
  • Greg George (5)
  • GTI ADVISORS (5)
  • Gun trusts (1)
  • guns (7)
  • HEALTH CARE LAW (6)
  • high net worth (17)
  • HIPPA violations (1)
  • homeowner's liability (13)
  • HR (3)
  • IAPT (2)
  • id theft (4)
  • Ike Devji (100)
  • Ike Devji – Asset Protection Expert (5)
  • ILIT (2)
  • information security (5)
  • intangible assets (3)
  • intellectual property (1)
  • investing (12)
  • investment exposure (14)
  • IRA creditor protection (1)
  • IRA Trusts (1)
  • Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (3)
  • IRS (7)
  • Jeff Christenson (4)
  • Jumbo CD Rates (1)
  • kids (6)
  • lawsuit awards (23)
  • lawyers (8)
  • Leadership & Management (12)
  • leading wealth and legal advisors (2)
  • legal documents and records (3)
  • Legal Strategies (19)
  • liability (46)
  • liability insurance (35)
  • Life Insurance (13)
  • life Insurance conversions (1)
  • LIFE INSURANCE CREDITOR PROTECTION (2)
  • Life Insurnace Conversions (2)
  • Limited Liability Companies (2)
  • Limited Partnerships and FLPs (1)
  • linkedIn (1)
  • LLC Asset Protection (3)
  • LLC Myths (2)
  • Loan default (4)
  • Lotzer Law Group (1)
  • malpractice (14)
  • malpractice insurance (2)
  • marketing and reputataion management (2)
  • Marriage and Family (2)
  • Medical Marijuana (1)
  • Medical Practice Management (23)
  • medical practice mangement (31)
  • Medical Practice Risk Management (14)
  • mexican real estate (1)
  • Mortgage (1)
  • Municipal Bonds (2)
  • Nevada (1)
  • offshore (16)
  • offshore banking (9)
  • offshore trusts (13)
  • parenting (7)
  • partnerships (2)
  • personal finance (2)
  • personal injury (8)
  • personal security (9)
  • physicians (41)
  • physicians personal finance (3)
  • privacy and identity (2)
  • professional athletes (27)
  • professional entertainers (17)
  • property insurance (7)
  • rachel weiss (5)
  • Raisng Capital and Funding Your Business (1)
  • real estate investing (14)
  • recession (12)
  • recession lawsuits (13)
  • recession survival (32)
  • Reputation and Recognition (1)
  • reputation management (1)
  • Retirement Plan Creditor Protection (2)
  • retirement plan funding (2)
  • Richard Arnold (1)
  • risk management (11)
  • scams (13)
  • Scottsdale (1)
  • Sean Shepherd (3)
  • SEC (1)
  • secret bank accounts (6)
  • SECURITY (5)
  • shelf corporations (1)
  • small business (3)
  • social media (5)
  • start-ups (7)
  • startup (5)
  • Strategic Default (4)
  • Succession and Transition Planning (5)
  • Surgeons and Surgical Centers (5)
  • tax deductions (19)
  • tax fraud (7)
  • taxation (17)
  • taxes (23)
  • THE VAULT (2)
  • Trisha Lotzer (1)
  • trusts (4)
  • twitter (1)
  • Uncategorized (52)
  • up front fees (1)
  • Urgent Care Centers (1)
  • vacant real estate liability (4)
  • venture capital (6)
  • wealth transfer (5)
  • Wealth Transfer Strategies (13)
  • women & money (8)
  • Workplace Violence (2)
  • worth magazine (4)

Copyright © 2021 · Dynamik-Gen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in