The Patient Safety Officer develops and maintains systems within the organization to proactively predict, detect, monitor, prevent, organize, measure, investigate, report, and manage patient adverse events or other incidents that may lead to patient harm. Additionally, this individual is responsible for reviewing and formulating policy or organizational changes and making recommendations for final approval by senior management. The Patient Safety Officer works closely with the Local Senior Leadership, Legal Department, Quality Department, Patient Advocacy, and other departments as necessary in performing the duties outlined above. The organization's key aims in this area are to be on the leading edge of improving health outcomes and service, increasing patient safety, and reducing error in healthcare processes.
Job Description

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at the company's discretion.
Education

Required - Bachelor's degree in healthcare or related field.

Preferred - Master's degree in healthcare or related field.

Work Experience

Required - Minimum two years clinical background (recent clinical experience preferred). Other background will be considered commensurate with education, knowledge, skills and acquired experience.

Preferred - Minimum two years of clinical background, risk management, quality management or legal nurse consulting experience.

Certifications

Required - Must possess one of the following certifications within 18 months of employment date of hire: Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM).

Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Effective verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present information clearly and professionally.
• Proficiency in using computers, software, and web-based applications.
• Ability to manage processes or facilitate management of processes by others.
• Working knowledge of continuous process improvement processes.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong Organizational skills.

Job Duties

• Promotes patient safety through and actions, training, implementation, and improvements using proven methods.
• Provides recommendations, support, and assistance to appropriate operational owners to implement strategies and policies that promote patient safety.
• Ensures patient safety occurrence reporting process including trending and reporting of results, identification of problem-prone areas, and facilitation of prevention initiatives. Analyze all statistical reports and advisories that identify patient safety patterns and trends for leadership. Lead the review of serious patient safety occurrences requiring root-cause analysis or failure mode and effects analysis. Disseminate lessons learned and process improvement plans internally within the organization and with system resources, as warranted. Conduct immediate/appropriate response to any serious patient safety occurrence. Monitors and take subsequent actions to ensure learning and adherence.
• Ensures patient safety events are documented in the safety incident reporting system, and that trends and serious events have received appropriate investigation and response.
• Collaborates with all appropriate stakeholders in the identification and analysis of preventable adverse patient events. Meets regularly with local leadership to review patient safety trends or occurrences in which there was severe patient harm or the potential for severe patient harm.
• Partners with appropriate resources to support and educate all staff and residents on patient safety issues.
• Maintains goodwill in all investigations without assigning blame, preserve dignity for all involved. Support a Just Culture when investigating undesirable events or outcomes.
• Responds to sentinel events and other serious patient safety occurrences and provide expert advice on the management and reporting of such events to administrative and clinical leadership and staff.
• Reviews and evaluates related policies and procedures and recommends revisions, as needed. Creates and/or advise appropriate operational owners to create new policies for approval, as needed.
• Participates in a variety of committees as assigned.
• Evaluates patient safety program for improvement opportunities annually.
• Provides clinical risk management support for Disclosure and PROMPT programs.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time.

Remains knowledgeable on current federal, state and local laws, accreditation standards or regulatory agency requirements that apply to the assigned area of responsibility and ensures compliance with all such laws, regulations and standards.

Physical and Environmental Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Light Work - Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly (Constantly: activity or condition exists 2/3 or more of the time) to move objects. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for Sedentary Work. Even though the weight lifted may be only a negligible amount, a job should be rated Light Work: (1) when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree; or (2) when it requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls; and/or (3) when the job requires working at a production rate pace entailing the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible. NOTE: The constant stress and strain of maintaining a production rate pace, especially in an industrial setting, can be and is physically demanding of a worker even though the amount of force exerted is negligible.

Normal routine involves no exposure to blood, body fluid or tissue and as part of their employment, incumbents are not called upon to perform or assist in emergency care or first aid.

The incumbent has no occupational risk for exposure to communicable diseases.

Because the incumbent works within a healthcare setting, there may be occupational risk for exposure to hazardous medications or hazardous waste within the environment through receipt, transport, storage, preparation, dispensing, administration, cleaning and/or disposal of contaminated waste. The risk level of exposure may increase depending on the essential job duties of the role.