Healthcare Writing & Communication Consulting

There's a gap between what healthcare says and what patients actually understand.
I'm here to close it.

I write patient-facing materials in plain language, for health systems, hospices, and clinics that take communication seriously.

Matthew Knight

Hi, I'm Matthew Knight.

I'm a former clinical chaplain, current healthcare administration student, and author of The Quiet Room, a newsletter on patient communication and health literacy. I hold a BA in English and am completing an MBA in Healthcare Administration. I work bilingually in English and Spanish.

  • Clinical Pastoral Education, 2 units
  • MBA, Healthcare Administration (expected 2028)
  • BA, English (2018)
  • Student Member, American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
  • Author, The Quiet Room
  • 8+ years experience in proofreading, editing, and writing coaching
  • 10+ years as a freelance writer
  • Bilingual and bicultural — English & Spanish

Clear communication is not a marketing problem. It's a clinical one.

I've sat with families in quiet rooms while doctors delivered news they couldn't process, handed advance directives to patients who couldn't understand them, and read patient education materials that seem to be written for the legal team more than the patient in the bed.

I spent years working with patients and families at a Level 1 trauma center and one of the country's busiest emergency departments. Now I work with health systems, hospices, FQHCs, and nonprofit health organizations to produce patient-facing materials their patients can actually use.

The work I do is specific: plain language rewrites, patient guides, advance care planning materials, staff education. Every project starts with the same three questions: Who is this document meant for? What does that person actually need to understand? What's standing in the way?


Services built for the gap

01.

Patient Education & Plain Language Writing

Clear, patient-centered materials at the appropriate reading level. Includes discharge instructions, patient guides, condition explainers, and appointment preparation materials.

  • Patient guides & brochures (4–6 pages)
  • Discharge & aftercare instruction rewrites
  • Consent form plain-language versions
Get in touch →

02.

End-of-Life & Advance Care Planning

Advance directives, family communication guides, and palliative care materials written with the care these documents deserve.

  • Advance directive patient guides
  • Goals-of-care conversation supports
  • Family communication toolkits (multi-document)
  • Hospice & palliative care patient materials
Get in touch →

03.

Clinical & Staff Education

Training modules and educational content for clinical staff on communication skills, health literacy practice, and patient-family engagement.

  • Staff training modules (patient communication, ethics, end-of-life care)
  • CME needs assessments & module development
  • Slide decks with speaker notes (20–30 slides)
Get in touch →

04.

Communication Audit & Website Copy

A full review of your existing patient-facing materials, identifying what's working, what isn't, and what the gaps are costing you.

  • Patient communication material audit (3–5 documents)
  • Healthcare website copy (per page)
  • White papers (6–10 pages)
  • Monthly content retainers (4 articles or equivalent)
Get in touch →

All projects are quoted as fixed fees before work begins: no hourly billing, no per-word rates, no surprises. Pilot projects (a single document rewrite or a small audit) are the most common starting point for new clients. If you're not sure what you need yet, let's start a conversation.


The Quiet Room

Writing from the gap

The Quiet Room is a newsletter for healthcare communicators and healthcare leaders who understand that patient communication is a clinical function, not just a marketing line item.

Read The Quiet Room →

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New issues every two to three weeks. Written for the healthcare communicators and leaders who want to close the gap.

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Contact

Let's talk about what your patients actually need to know.

Most conversations start with a specific problem: a consent form that nobody understands, a discharge process that generates call-back volume, a patient guide that hasn't been updated since 2017.

If that's where you are, I'd like to hear about it. There's no obligation, just a conversation about what you're working on and whether I can help.

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