The pathways model postulates that communication functions rarely lead directly to health outcomes, but instead indirectly through proximal and intermediate outcomes. Notwithstanding the advances of this concept, it has been limited to the scope of interpersonal communication. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a model that can be applied in the organizational context of healthcare. Through a meta-synthesis of 328 articles, a model is constructed with variables that may explain stages along the pathways from communication to health (e.g., communication behavior, communication modifier, proximal outcome, intermediate outcome, and health outcome). The model is presented and its applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]