Training for communication after medical harm
Prepare your team for the conversations that follow medical harm.
Comms Corps provides online training in disclosure, ongoing communication, and response to patients and families after medical harm. Our courses help clinicians, risk managers, patient safety teams, and health care leaders prepare for these conversations and strengthen their organization’s approach to communication and resolution.
12+ years
Experience developing &
teaching communication after harm practices
4 hours
Online, self-paced CMHC trainings
4 CME credits
Available to eligible professionals upon successful completion
Team
options
Group enrollment & organization-wide training
Built for the people responsible for responding to harm
Health care leaders
Give teams a shared approach to disclosure, follow-up, & communication with patients & families after harm.
Explore team training
Risk management
& patient safety teams
Prepare the people who coordinate harm response & support difficult conversations across clinical, risk, & leadership teams.
See the CMHC course
Malpractice insurers
Explore training options for insured organizations and the professionals who guide communication after adverse events.
Discuss an organization-wide option
NEW COURSE — LAUNCHING NOW
Difficult Conversations: Requirements
& Preparation for Disclosure After Harm
A 1-hour online course on disclosure after harm, developed in partnership with the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety — built for every healthcare professional who may face the hardest conversation in medicine.
Regulatory & ethical requirements for disclosure, including CMS Patient Safety Structural Measures
How to prepare before a disclosure conversation
Communication strategies grounded in transparency and patient-centered values
Responding to the hardest questions patients and families ask
Our Courses
Certified Medical Harm Communicator (CMHC)
Four one-hour, online trainings covering the foundations of communication after harm, disclosure conversations, access and communication responsibilities, and sustaining communication and resolution practices. Certification requires completing all four trainings and passing each training’s quiz.
4 hours | $279 per learner | 4.0 CME credits available
Difficult Conversations:
Requirements & Preparation for Disclosure After Harm
A one-hour, online course developed with the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety. It introduces disclosure requirements, preparation, patient-centered communication, and responses to difficult questions.
1 hour | $149 per learner | 1.0 CME credit available
Leilani Schweitzer
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Leilani Schweitzer co-founded Comms Corps after years of working with patients, families, clinicians, and health systems in the aftermath of medical harm. Following the death of her son Gabriel, she spent 12 years at Stanford Health Care developing its Communication and Resolution Program. Her experience informs the practical training she now teaches through Comms Corps.
Her story, and her work have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TEDx, and more. Leilani continues her work to shape healthcare policy, advising global organizations on transparency, disclosure, and patient safety.
Transform healthcare communication
— one conversation at a time.
Drawing on years of experience with harmed patients, families, and healthcare professionals—and grounded in extensive published research—this curriculum provides essential training for health care professionals. The Certified Medical Harm Communicator training equips nurses, physicians, risk managers, and support staff with the skills to:
Communicate Clearly and Effectively
Gain the confidence to know what to say (and what to avoid) when speaking with patients and families after a harm event.
Stay Calm Under Pressure
Develop strategies to de-escalate tense situations, show genuine concern, and maintain emotional resilience.
Build Trust & Minimize Risk
Use clear, empathetic communication to prevent misunderstandings and reduce legal exposure.
Champion Transparency & Patient Safety
Foster a culture of honesty, accountability, and trust within your health care team.
Gain practical skills you can apply immediately
—because more compassionate conversations create better outcomes- for patients, their families, and practitioners.
Real Experience, Real Impact
“Many harmed by their healthcare understandably feel betrayed; Leilani Schweitzer instead chose to leverage her experience to improve clinical medicine. To help the medical community see and feel what patients harmed by their care see and feel. She has years of risk management experience, teaching others the value of, and keys to compassionate and honest communication following adverse events. Leilani has an uncommon grasp of human nature coupled with a deep respect for healthcare professionals’ dedication to their patients and shares her insights with authenticity, sincerity and clarity.
The value she offers is unparalleled in the arena of communication following unintended clinical outcomes.”
— Richard Boothman, JD
Former Chief Risk Officer
University of Michigan Health
“Leilani takes the intention of disclosure and accountability and puts them into action. She understands the risks and benefits transparency presents to a health care system, as well as, its necessity to patients and their loved ones. I have seen Leilani present the merits of Communication and Resolution Programs to C-Suite executives and explain the gritty details of implementation to risk managers, patient experience professionals and attorneys. She draws on her years of experience to demonstrate actionable steps to meet the needs of patients, their families, clinicians and administrators after adverse medical events.”
— Edward Hall, Senior Executive Administrator, Integrated Risk at
Keck Medicine of USC
“My perspective on communication in the healthcare space has been fundamentally shaped by my work Leilani Schweitzer. Before working with her, I was skeptical apologies and explanations could meet the needs of everyone involved in adverse medical events. Now I know accountability and compassionate responses are vital for improving patient safety. Her passion for greater disclosure and transparency changed the purpose and direction of my life.”
— Cheryl De Kleine Callaghan, Esq.
Vice President Clinical Risk Management, Claims & Litigation
Ascension
Training a team or an entire organization?
Tell us who you need to train, how many learners you expect, and what your organization is working to improve. We can discuss course selection, group enrollment, completion documentation, and a rollout approach for your team.
Confidence in Communication:
A Post-Harm Engagement Guide
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COMMUNICATION CHECKLIST
Download our practical, step-by-step guide to help healthcare professionals navigate difficult conversations with empathy, clarity, and confidence. This free checklist, offers essential actions and reminders to support meaningful, compassionate engagement following an adverse event.
