Eliminating the Public Relations Silo

Mark Corbae

Healthcare companies today are navigating some of the most complex pressures in recent memory. Regulatory uncertainty, the promise and threat of artificial intelligence and a challenging capital markets environment are just a few of the stressors affecting the industry today. For leadership teams, the challenge isn’t just competing; it’s sustaining credibility while adapting in real time.

In this environment, communications is no longer a supporting function. It’s a central driver of value.

For communications to have that impact, specialists can’t work in silos. Public relations alone isn’t enough. Investor relations alone isn’t enough. Internal communications alone isn’t enough. The reality is that effective planning requires alignment across audiences, disciplines and business objectives.

Why integration matters now

We have seen this play out repeatedly. Take healthcare consolidation. When two organizations announce a merger, the message must simultaneously address investors who care about financial outlook, employees who are worried about job security, regulators who are assessing market impact and patients who need reassurance about continuity of care. If communication is fragmented, one or more of those groups ends up in the dark, and the companies risk undermining confidence before the deal even closes.

For PR professionals, this illustrates why understanding IR—and vice versa—is essential, because a single narrative must meet financial, operational and reputational objectives at the same time.

Artificial intelligence is another example. In the past year, multiple healthcare companies have launched AI initiatives with headlines promising to transform diagnostics or drug discovery. Without a coordinated approach that considers both business goals and patient care, a story that may look good to investors could raise concerns elsewhere.

In the capital markets, upcoming healthcare IPOs and strategic transactions will show just how important alignment is. Companies preparing to go public or positioning themselves for acquisition need PR and IR to be fully coordinated. According to McKinsey, U.S. healthcare deal activity in 2024 fell about 30 percent compared with the previous year, amid margin pressures and high valuation expectations, encouraging companies to take a more cohesive approach.

Even small missteps in messaging or tone can affect valuation, slow momentum or weaken credibility at some of the most important moments in a company’s lifecycle.

What’s more, coordination doesn’t stop with PR and IR. In today’s environment, companies must also closely align public affairs, employee communications and digital engagement. A regulatory update can spark media questions, trigger investor reactions and raise employee concerns, all within hours. Without coordination across these channels, the story becomes disjointed. Communicators who can bridge these disciplines are the ones who keep organizations steady when the landscape shifts.

From doer to advisor

These examples make the point clear: specialization alone isn’t enough. Communicators who stay in their own lane risk becoming task-oriented rather than strategic partners.

Professionals who develop knowledge across disciplines, whether that means digesting financial statements, understanding regulatory policy or recognizing the reputational impact of AI, bring more value. They aren’t just executing instructions; they’re advising leadership, anticipating issues and helping companies navigate complex situations. This is also where communicators move from supporting actors to trusted advisors. By explaining complex choices in a way that connects to the market and to stakeholders, they make hard decisions easier and help leaders move forward with confidence.

Whether on the in-house side or agency side, it’s a communications professional’s responsibility to ensure that every message considers the full spectrum of stakeholders and disciplines.

This shift from doer to advisor is what turns communications into a true driver of growth.

Integration as a mindset

True alignment starts with mindset, not organizational charts. It requires curiosity and the discipline to ask how a decision affects all of our audiences. Who else needs to hear this message? What ripple effects could this have across markets, policy or reputation?

Approaching things this way puts communication at the heart of how a business operates, embedded in decision-making, not just tactics. The communicator’s role is to make complex information clear, shape a narrative that builds trust, reduce risk and help leadership make well-informed decisions.

Putting it into practice

Moving toward integration takes practice. Communicators should start by building cross-functional knowledge. You don’t need to be a CFO or a physician, but it helps to understand financial statements and be able to explain a clinical trial in plain language. Every plan should be viewed through a multistakeholder lens. A message that works for one audience, like investors, but leaves employees or regulators uncertain, isn’t ready for broader communication.

Equally important is being involved early. Communicators who bring a holistic perspective are invited into high-level conversations, not just execution. I’m fortunate in that the healthcare clients I work with are led by forward-thinking CEOs who recognize the value of having their communications counselors “under the tent” from the start. That’s where we can have the most impact, shaping how decisions are understood before they reach the public. Integration also makes it possible to be proactive rather than reactive. By connecting the dots across functions, communicators can anticipate challenges and opportunities instead of scrambling to align messages at the last minute.

Communications as a value driver

The healthcare industry, like many others, continues to evolve rapidly. For communicators, this means embracing a broader skill set and a more integrated perspective. The future belongs to those who can connect functional synergies, see issues before they arise and align stakeholder narratives with business goals.

A communicator isn’t just a PR pro, an IR lead or an internal communications specialist. They’re a connector, an integrator and a counselor who helps leadership make the right decisions in moments that matter. Cross-functional alignment isn’t just best practice; it’s a competitive advantage, one that enables PR and communications teams to directly influence business growth.

Cohesiveness is more than a functional necessity. It’s how communications earns its seat at the decision-making table and demonstrates a tangible impact on long-term business goals and value. That’s the mandate of modern communications.

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Mark Corbae is a Managing Director at ICR Healthcare.