Job Requirements General Summary:Responsible for developing and executing strategies that enhance the patient and family experience across the University of Maryland Medical Center's Downtown and Midtown campuses. Oversee key operational areas, including Patient Advocacy, Interpreter Services, Guest Services the Healing Garden, family reception areas, Inpatient Transportation, Wheelchair Program, Integrative Care, and Volunteer Services. Engage employees, physicians, and patients to ensure care is consistently patient-centered and exceeds the expectations of patients and families. Collaborate with multiple departments to ensure seamless delivery of patient-centered care and leverage patient and family advisory councils to integrate the voice of the customer into hospital operations and improvement efforts. Work is performed under general direction. Direct report to the Vice President, Patient Experience.
Primary Responsibilities:The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job responsibilities performed.
- Develop and implement strategies, goals, and metrics to drive patient experience improvement.
- Identify internal and external best practices in patient experience, disseminate knowledge across UMMC, and provide education, resources, benchmarking, and data analytics to support patient-centered initiatives.
- Oversee and lead patient experience survey administration, initiatives and program management.
- Lead service excellence initiatives, including training, rounding, reporting, and recognition programs such as the "You Make a Difference Award."
- Partner with UMMC leadership, including nursing and physician leaders, to enhance patient-centered care practices and service expectations.
- Oversee the planning, execution, and sustainability of patient experience initiatives across the organization, including staff rounding, development of training videos and modules, online tracking, departmental support, visibility materials, and recognition of achievements.
- Collaborate with the VP and senior leadership, including the UMMC SVP, PCS/RN, Chief Nursing Officer, and Medical Director of Patient Experience, to develop and implement patient-centered care systems, programs, and services.
- Utilize leadership expertise to build consensus and secure stakeholder engagement in patient experience strategies and initiatives. Work closely with Directors of Nursing and Operations to strengthen partnerships that drive improved patient experience outcomes. Maintain active relationships with Triad nursing leadership teams.
- Partner with departmental managers, directors and VPs to assess and investigate patient and family grievances, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements for complaint resolution.
- Collaborate with and support the VP, Medical Director of Patient Experience and UMMC physician leaders to extend service expectations, training, recognition and metrics to all UMMC physicians including residents.
- Partner with VP and ambulatory care leadership to extends service excellence practices, performance measures, and recognition programs to ambulatory clinics.
- Work with Human Resources to integrate customer service principles into onboarding, training, and performance management processes. Facilitate the Customer Service component of New Employee Orientation and lead related training and development programs to ensure consistent service excellence and effective service recovery.
- Establish and monitor hospital-wide patient experience metrics to measure success and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Provide insights and reports to senior leadership, managers, directors, and physicians to drive evidence-based decision-making.
- Provide reports on the status of patient satisfaction and improvement efforts to senior leadership, managers, directors, and physicians.
- Collaborate with the PX Program Manager to educate staff, managers, executives, directors, physicians, and other stakeholders on interpreting and accessing patient satisfaction metrics and applying best practices.
- Oversee and advance inpatient patient satisfaction culture and measurement efforts for UMMC.
- Communicate key patient and family satisfaction metrics at UMMC, departmental, and unit levels, ensuring data is easily accessible and actionable.
- Interpret and present patient survey data to staff, management, leadership, hospital departments, physician leaders, direct caregivers, and UMMC Patient and Family Advisory Councils.
- Work closely with the PX Program Manager to design, update, and refine surveys, as well as enhance tools, sampling methodologies, and reporting mechanisms across the organization.
- Strengthen and expand Patient & Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) to integrate the patient voice into hospital operations and service improvements.
- Lead patient experience benchmarking efforts by engaging national resources to identify best practices in patient experience.
- Provide guidance to executives, physicians, department heads, managers, and supervisors on matters involving patient complaints and grievances.
- Act as the 1557 Compliance Coordinator, overseeing regulatory adherence related to patient rights and non-discrimination policies.
- Ensure the effective delivery of interpreter services and complaint management processes in alignment with The Joint Commission and other regulatory requirements. Serve as the primary expert on Patient Rights compliance across campuses and fulfills responsibilities as the 1557 Compliance Coordinator.
- Collaborate with directors and managers to develop and implement goals and strategies aimed at enhancing the patient experience, with a strong emphasis on patient rights and advocacy.
- Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state, laws, rules, regulations, and UMMC policies and procedures that govern the area of responsibility.
- Adhere to Infection Control and Environment of Care Guidelines and Procedures as per the annual education module.
- Coordinate signature events such as the Great Stories Event, UMMC Healing Arts Show, Administrative Professionals People's Choice Awards, and DAISY Nurse Recognition Program.
- Manage the UMMC Scrub Store, Badge Backer Program, and Auditorium Scheduling.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, problem solving, innovation, continuous learning, and a one team mindset.
- Mentor staff in both technical and soft skills to develop a team of highly competent, consistent, thoughtful, and customer-centric experts.
- Evaluate staff effectiveness and oversee development and implementation of training programs to improve performance.
- Oversee and perform managerial functions including hiring, training and development, and preparing performance reviews in accordance with UMMC policies and procedures.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:- Working knowledge of healthcare management and leadership principles, including strategies that shape organizational structure and strengthen the patient experience function.
- Advanced knowledge of patient-centered care models, service excellence strategies, and patient engagement best practices.
- Advanced knowledge of applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations that govern the area of responsibility (e.g., The Joint Commission, HIPAA, Section 1557, etc.).
- Advanced knowledge and understanding of compliance requirements related to patient rights, interpreter services, and healthcare regulations.
- Advanced skill identifying challenges, developing solutions, and implementing best practices in patient care.
- Advanced leadership skills, including situational awareness, conflict resolution, establishing alignment and clear direction, and driving continuous improvement.
- Demonstrated leadership ability to successfully motivate and inspire team members to high performance levels.
- Dynamic and visionary leader with a strategic mindset, capable of integrating quality, performance improvement, patient safety, and customer service into UMMC's overall strategic and operational goals.
- Proven ability to work across departments, establish strong partnerships, and gain buy-in for patient experience initiatives.
- Awareness of cultural competency, health equity, and strategies for improving the experience of diverse patient populations.
- Demonstrated energy, enthusiasm, and creativity in developing and leading customer service initiatives that drive organizational objectives and ensure superior patient outcomes.
- Ability to identify gaps in patient experience and develop creative solutions to enhance care quality.
- Advanced skill presenting findings, conclusions, alternatives and information clearly and concisely at all levels within the organization.
- Working knowledge and understanding of the application of change management principles and cultural transformation.
- Expert analytical, critical thinking, planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Advanced skill managing multiple initiatives and meeting changing requirements and priorities to accomplish objectives.
- Expert skill developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships with all levels of leadership and staff.
- Advanced skill to influence, negotiate and persuade to reach agreeable exchange and positive outcomes.
- Advanced skill in the use of Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Access, Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
- Expert verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Education & Experience - Required:- Master's degree in Nursing, Physical Therapy, Respiratory Therapy, or related field.
- Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive leadership experience in service excellence, patient satisfaction, patient engagement, or healthcare operations, with at least three (3) years in a leadership role overseeing patient experience initiatives.
Education & Experience - Preferred:- Experience in an academically affiliated healthcare system.
- Certification in Patient Experience (CPXP).
Additional Information:- Work Schedule: M-F 8-4:30
