GPS Patient Relations Specialist

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia•Worcester, MA

2d•$30 - $39

About The Position

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Global Patient Services (GPS) Patient Relations Specialist supports international patients and families receiving care at CHOP. The specialist coordinates care and services across specialty services and departments, maintains communication with families throughout their stay, and works with GPS staff and hospital partners to enhance the patient and family experience. The role helps families traveling to CHOP navigate their arrival, care, and stay. It includes answering questions, assisting with immigration and visa-related processes, providing language-appropriate orientation materials and hospital tours, and introducing families to GPS staff and resources. The specialist collaborates with the GPS team, leadership, Language Services, Hospitality, clinical teams, embassies, and other internal and external partners. The position may also provide cultural education and interpretation support in certain situations. The specialist supports coordination of appointments, clinic and inpatient needs, records, interpretation, transportation, lodging, and family orientation. The role includes administrative work and may require on-call availability for emergencies, travel to airports to greet direct admissions, and support in end-of-life situations. CHOP patient-facing employees are required to receive an annual influenza vaccine.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least three years of experience in customer service, hotel work, health care, or language services for children and/or families.
Fluency in a secondary language; Arabic fluency is specifically required.
Ability to understand varied regional accents and linguistic styles and select an appropriate interpretation mode.
Ability to interpret accurately and completely, self-correct, recognize linguistic limitations, seek clarification, and accept correction.
Ability to identify cues indicating participants’ understanding or need for clarification.
Strong writing skills and understanding of the translation process.
Cultural awareness, including understanding language as an expression of culture, avoiding stereotypes, and using culturally appropriate behavior.
Awareness of personal values and cultural characteristics that may affect interpretation, with ability to acknowledge them or withdraw when they may interfere with successful interpretation.
Ability to explain the interpreter’s role, recognize the complexity of clinical encounters, and facilitate accurate and complete communication between patients and providers.
Ability to encourage direct communication between providers and patients, maintain professional distance and integrity, and remain calm and impartial when diffusing conflict.
Ability to clarify instructions and follow-up steps diplomatically and effectively.
Ability to work effectively with parents, physicians, and all levels of hospital and embassy personnel.
Ability to understand medical terminology and direct patients to appropriate specialty areas.
Ability to respond to families from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Ability to work independently, efficiently, and professionally with minimal supervision.
Ability to identify problems and find effective solutions.
Strong interpersonal skills, customer service, and responsiveness.
Detail-oriented and highly organized.
Demonstrated public-speaking skills.
Ability to work as a team member and independently, exercise minimal-supervision judgment, and make administrative decisions.
Excellent telephone listening, written, and verbal communication skills.
Ability to meet CHOP’s annual influenza-vaccine requirement for employees with patient-facing responsibilities or who work in patient-care buildings.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Customer service experience in a healthcare setting.
Experience with Salesforce, Excel, or the Epic electronic health record.
International life experience and experience serving an international clientele in a work environment.

Responsibilities

Serve as a resource for CHOP physicians, allied health staff, and other professionals seeking information about international patient access.
Liaise among international families, physicians, and office personnel to support coordinated care.
Build productive relationships with internal and external constituents, including embassy contacts.
Provide hospital tours and presentations about GPS services to embassy and VIP visitors.
Coordinate and support special events, including Ramadan, Eid, and embassy visits.
Welcome families to CHOP and greet them in the GPS Clinic.
Facilitate communication between families and the GPS clinic team during triage, and help ensure new referral inquiries are handled efficiently.
Coordinate with the GPS clinical nurse coordinator and access coordinator to support efficient care.
Upload new records and images brought by families to support case management.
Confirm financial clearance with the Global Medicine Operations Counselor before scheduling GPS clinic appointments.
Support families needing triage and clinic appointments.
Enter patient communications into Epic for continuity of care.
Complete MERS screening for newly arrived patients and upload images and medical records to Epic media.
Address issues and concerns compassionately, with integrity, and in real time.
Remain available on call for emergencies, including acute changes in patient status, a child’s death, and off-hours arrivals of newly admitted families.
Coordinate with embassies and funeral homes to arrange transportation to the home country in end-of-life situations.
Travel to airports, including JFK, PHL, and Dulles, with the CHOP Transport team to greet direct admissions, welcome families, and assist with customs and luggage.
Provide interpretation in the absence of an interpreter and, when necessary, in emergency situations and ED visits until an interpreter is available.
Maintain strict confidentiality.
Coordinate welcome orientations for new international patients and families, including hospital introductions and tours.
Provide and review the GPS orientation binder, explaining the CHOP system, GPS access, and emergency resources such as the ED and After-Hour Program.
Collect passports and assist families with consent and embassy forms.
Explain access to care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in light of the medical complexity of international patients.
Assist families in obtaining a cell phone and local phone number and opening a local bank account.
Guide families on tours and identify important facilities, including the ED, outpatient clinics, outpatient registration, and the OR arrival site.
Explain how to contact the GPS office and communicate with multilingual staff.
Teach families how to access the After Hours Program, including how to identify their MRN, physician, and after-hours phone system.
Schedule interpreter services and airport transportation as needed.
Conduct a second orientation one week after arrival to check that families are comfortable and their stay is progressing smoothly.
Collaborate and round weekly with Environmental Services to address international patient needs on inpatient units.
Work with Language Services to schedule interpreters as needed.
Coordinate with Hospitality regarding transportation and lodging requests for discharged patients.
Work with Health Information Management, PCAM Radiation, Radiology, Cardiology, Neurology, and the pathology lab to request and collect records for discharged patients.
Coordinate with the pathology lab to process and collect pathology slides.
Coordinate with OR, MRI, and Sedation teams when international patients are scheduled for procedures.
Partner with the GPS social worker and escalate issues requiring social work intervention.
Visit and support inpatients twice weekly or as needed.
Work with the CHOP pharmacy to facilitate flu-season immunization registration and scheduling for parents and siblings.
Maintain the accuracy and integrity of Salesforce data and Epic demographic information.
Help families find the Cashier’s office to pay for services when needed.
Contact families daily with appointment reminders and NPO instructions.
Provide information about U.S. immigration and customs and visa application procedures.
Assist families with stay-renewal applications, I-94 matters, and USCIS calls.
Help families complete handicap placard applications.
Conduct patient-family surveys for international patients and address service-recovery opportunities in real time.
Order office supplies.
Create and share monthly on-call templates and schedules with the team.
Participate in professional activities and organizations to maintain knowledge of current trends, practices, and developments, and pursue professional development opportunities.