Advancing communication excellence across healthcare networks
SynergyUSA partnered with rural stakeholders across the United States to deliver expert guidance, align messaging, and build capabilities for clear, impactful patient-provider communication.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination in federally funded health programs based on race, national origin, or disability. Ineffective communication often causes misdiagnosis and treatment delays, especially for deaf, hard of hearing, and limited English proficiency patients. OCR received numerous complaints nationwide from these communities who were unable to communicate effectively with their providers.
Under the leadership of SynergyUSA Co-Founder Tamara Miller, HHS/OCR achieved two goals:
Providing technical assistance and increasing employee capabilities in partnership with geographically-dispersed state-wide health associationsÂ
Driving improved health outcomes and enhancing access to safe, high-quality care across U.S. hospital associationsÂ
How we expanded healthcare access through strategic communications and technical assistance:
Change Management: We developed outcome-focused assessment tools by mobilizing key partners—the American Hospital Association (AHA), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET), and The Joint Commission—to amplify OCR’s performance.
Strategic Communications & Stakeholder Engagement: We developed and deployed a patient-provider survey for four hospital associations, the results of which we leveraged to build a state-of-the-art website, produce training videos on Patient-Provider Communications, and promote OCR’s initiatives through AHA publications.
Technical Assistance: We delivered strategic guidance on language access and effective communication for English as a Second Language (ESL), limited English proficient, deaf, and hard-of-hearing patients and their companions.
Civil Rights Advisory: We trained eight hospital associations on applicable civil rights laws, compliance strategies, and best practices to ensure compliance with federal laws and improve patient outcomes.Â
Results Achieved:
OCR delivered targeted support to state partners in Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Washington by identifying high-need regions, developing a survey and other data collection tools, and training hospital associations nationwide on legal compliance and communication best practices.
