The Sr. Patient Relations Partner will be responsible for patient complaint resolution, patient advocacy, service recovery, and quality improvement throughout Stamford Health.  The Sr. Patient Relations Partner will provide advocacy and support with a high level of service for patients and their families.  They will act as a liaison between patients, their families and health care service providers.  The Sr. Patient Relations Partner will perform data analysis and produce patient experience and complaints and grievance reports for department leaders and their peers.   

The Sr. Patient Relations Partner understands and participates in a culture that is person-centered and committed to a holistic approach in the delivery of healthcare services.  As a member of the Planetree & Patient Experience team, the Sr. Patient Relations Partner will educate leaders and their peers about patient-centered care philosophy and best practices. 

1. Serves as a liaison between patients/families and Stamford Health care teams.  
2. Educator of Patient Rights, and responsible for the review and response of any complaints and grievances related to Patient Rights.  
3. Proactively mitigates complaints by collaborating with staff, supervisors and managers.  Facilitates the resolution of potential complaints and recommends modification of practices that result in repeated complaints.
4. Through purposeful rounding, the Patient Relations Partner will proactively address patient concerns raised by patients and family, documenting details, investigating potential risks, escalating as needed and determining the most appropriate and patient-centered resolutions.
5. Serves as a facilitator in effective patient complaint resolution, skilled in de-escalation, and is a major force in expediting a prompt response to patient dissatisfaction via email, phone call findings or when rounding.
6. Initiates problem resolution through an appropriate action plan and refers issues to the appropriate party including but not limited to, Risk Management, Security and nursing leadership.
7. Regularly prepares data reports following an investigation of patient concerns or complaints, which includes actions taken to effect resolution and any mitigation strategies.
8. Designs new programs grounded in patient experience best practices, in collaboration with Nursing partners, aimed at improving patient satisfaction.
9. Works collaboratively with Nurse Managers, Clinical Directors, and other departmental leaders to identify patient experience opportunities and quality improvement initiatives to enhance the overall patient experience.
10.  Ability to analyze, interpret and report patient experience data, and serves as a point of contact for requests from leaders of assigned care areas.
11. Leads the integration of satisfaction feedback through continuous quality improvement efforts.
12. Complies with departmental organizational policies and procedures and adheres to external agency requirements.
13. Serves and protects the hospital community by adhering to professional standards, hospital policies and procedures, federal, state, and local requirements including Connecticut Department of Health and Joint Commission standards.
14. Completes required continuous training and education, including department specific requirements.
15. Performs other related duties as assigned or requested in order to maintain a high level of service.

COMPETENCIES AND WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum five years experience in a healthcare setting performing patient relations, patient experience or advocacy work is required. 
• Excellent verbal, written, organizational, and interpersonal skills are required.
• Outstanding customer service skills are required.
• Ability to multi-task is required.
• High level of competency with Press Ganey, RL solutions or other patient engagement resources is required. 
• High level of competency with Microsoft Office or equivalent is required.
• The ability to work with individuals at all levels across the organization, (senior leadership, team members, other departments), as well as with patients, guests and the community is required.
• Knowledge of current trends, resources and information related to patient experience is required. 
• Clinical background is preferred.

• Prior experience facilitating presentations and speaking to large audiences is preferred.

   

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (INCLUDE LICENSE, REGISTRATION, CERTIFICATION):

• Bachelors Degree in Health Care, Business Management, Behavioral Science or related field is required.
• Master's Degree and/or Certified Patient Experience Professional (CPXP) preferred, and highly recommended.