The Senior Patient Relations & Safety Specialist will join the Quality & Patient Safety team at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA.
This is an onsite position, with the opportunity for one remote day per week following an initial training period.
Job Description:This role works collaboratively to ensure a compassionate, supportive, and safe environment for patients and families. Serving as a liaison between patients, families, and all hospital departments, this role addresses concerns and requests while advocating for patient needs. The individual will respond to patient inquiries with empathy and work to resolve issues promptly, ensuring positive patient experiences. Additionally, this role supports the hospital's Patient Safety and Risk Management program by assisting in the development, planning, and evaluation of safety initiatives. Responsibilities include managing loss reduction, claims, and the occurrence reporting process, as well as facilitating root cause analyses to prevent future incidents. The coordinator will also assist with external agency reporting and contribute to ongoing safety education and training efforts.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities (including but not limited to):- Provides on-site advocacy and facilitation by anticipating and ensuring that patients'/families' needs for comfort and compassion are met. Includes real time visits with inpatients and/or families to address their immediate concerns
- Proactively identifies situations that could potentially result in patient discomfort/dissatisfaction. Works with patient and families in conjunction with appropriate staff to develop patient specific solutions to resolve patient concerns before patient becomes dissatisfied.
- Answers, screens and triages incoming telephone calls, emails and letters to Patient Relations. Provides back up when needed for Quality & Safety departmental telephone line.
- Consults with and provides support to staff on how to respond to patient complaints, and coordinates the timely investigation, review, response, and resolution of patient complaints.
- Participates in internal and external reporting of patient complaint and survey data as required by regulators, payers and accrediting organizations
- Assists in responding to inquiries, complaints, suggestions and compliments received from patients, insurance companies and other agencies. Interprets the Patient's Bill of Rights, hospital policies and non-medical procedures to patients/families when called upon to do so.
- Assists with tracking and quality assurance of patient satisfaction database. Proactively monitors trends in patient/family concerns/complaints to identify systematic, process, or cultural barriers to the delivery of patient/family-centered care.
- Regularly reviews the STARS Reporting System and triages reported incidents to the correct individual and/or department to ensure follow-up of reported issues. Works with Director on outstanding or unresolved incidents. Collaborates with clinical staff to inform the creation of cause maps, root cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Serves as Hospital liaison to the Patient Family Advisory Council
- Provides administrative support to the following committees: Quality Review, Peer Support, and Performance Measurement Steering.
Additional Responsibilities:- Works with legal counsel and liability insurance companies on potential claims.
- Investigates patient events and monitors occurrence reports for trends.
- Submits regulatory reports as appropriate.
- Correlates and prepares information for appropriate committees and departments.
- Works collaboratively with other department members to ensure timely and accurate collection, input, and reporting of patient safety/risk data.
- Assists in the coordination and implementation of patient safety/risk activities as assigned.
- Provides support in conducting Root Cause Analyses (RCAs), including investigation, formulation of action plans with the team, and monitoring of actions.
- Posts and inputs data into records, logs, and computerized databases.
- Gathers data from medical records according to current regulatory specifications and inputs the information into the data management system.
- Creates PowerPoint presentations, scorecards, and other materials with minimal direction and in collaboration with department leaders. Utilizes Excel to create worksheets and graphs with formulas, functions, and pivot tables.
Minimum QualificationsEducation- Bachelor's degree in nursing, health care administration, hospital administration, or a related field is preferred
- Equivalent work experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, patients, and families from diverse backgrounds.
- Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Ability to protect and maintain confidentiality with PHI and sensitive data.
Experience:- Five years of work experience, with two years in a hospital or healthcare setting preferred, including familiarity with medical terminology.
Physical Requirements & Environment: The nature of work requires close attention to detail for work to be accurately completed. Intermittent breaks during the workday do not compromise the work. Work is varied every day and incumbents need to be adaptable to respond to changes and use independent judgment and manage priorities. No substantial exposure to adverse environmental conditions. Sedentary work; exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally in carrying, lifting, pushing, or pulling objects. Regularly walking. Standing occasionally. The position requires frequent computer use.
Pay Range: $69,997.00 USD - $119,995.00 USD
The pay range listed for this position is the annual base salary range the organization reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at this time. Actual compensation is determined based on several factors, that may include seniority, education, training, relevant experience, relevant certifications, geography of work location, job responsibilities, or other applicable factors permissible by law.
As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.
