Patient Representative

Patient Advocate

Demonstrate respect, dignity, kindness and empathy in each encounter with all patients, families, visitors and other employees regardless of cultural background. Investigate, resolve, document and report patient and visitor compliments and concerns to leadership and staff. Develop, implement and participate in customer service initiatives. Responsible for patient complaint follow up, assessment, and disposition based on case-by-case situations. Pro-actively address issues or potential problems to minimize complaints. Create and review patient complaint data to identify areas for further assistance and follow-up.

Complaint Investigation and Resolution:

• Work in partnership with the managers and staff to resolve issues or complaints through early intervention and problem resolution.
• Assess situations of risk and refer issues of malpractice, substitute consent, personal injury, wrongful death, abuse, and missing personal property to Risk Management
• Refer immediate concerns and/or compliments to appropriate manager
• Make referrals to appropriate departments/services for patient assistance
• Follow-up with those patients who have identified a concern during their hospital visit

Customer Service:

• Serve as a liaison between the patient, staff, and the organization
• Identify potential issues that may result in a complaint or grievance
• Communicate information about the hospital's policies and procedures, informing patients, families, and other guests of hospital services available to them; i.e. reduced parking, arranging for overnight stays, etc.
• Listen to patient concerns and communicate special needs of patient/family/visitor with staff and administration when appropriate
• Advocate for quality care, treatment, respect and rights of all patients
• Mediation in family meetings with treatment team and families
• Make suggestions and recommendation to improve customer service processes
• Provide Customer Service training to staff as needed.
• Serve as resource for Limited English Proficiency patient needs including education about services, day to day operations and equipment needs.
• Provide coverage and assistance to other locations in absence of assigned patient representative.

Quality Assurance:

• Track problem areas and identifies trends
• Prepare reports and communicate with department managers/ senior administration on regular basis
• Identify system problems; make recommendations; and assist in resolutions and opportunities for improvement in service delivery
• Participate in the development of policies and procedures related to patient rights and satisfaction
• Provide accurate and complete documentation regarding the investigation process; i.e. subjective data; objective data; assessment; and resolution
• Participate on committees, work groups, and/or process improvement teams that improve patient/customer satisfaction.
• Attend staff meetings and mandatory in-service training sessions.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education, Credentials, Licenses:

Bachelor's degree in the Human Service field or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Specialized Knowledge:

• Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse population.
• Must have strong customer service and communication skills both written and verbal.
• Ability to handle difficult patient and family situations constructively.
• Skilled in interacting with physicians/senior leadership.
• Skilled in sensitivity awareness
• Able to apply insight and sound judgment in stressful situations.
• Able to assess and resolve operational and system problems.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Adaptability with high tolerance for ambiguous work situations
• Must demonstrate ability to utilize Microsoft Office products.

Kind and Length of Experience:

2 years of experience in complaint management, conflict resolution and customer service in healthcare environment

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Right Career. Right Here. If you're looking for the right careers in healthcare, the right place to be is at St. Elizabeth. Join us, and you'll take pride in the level of care we offer our community.