Patient Advocate- Duke Regional Inpatient and Outpatient

Duke Careers•Durham, NC

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Investigate, resolve, document and report organization-specific patient and visitor compliments and concerns to leadership and staff. Develop, implement and participate in customer service and patient relations initiatives related to the Duke University Hospital. Provide monthly accountability and variance analysis of Balanced Scorecard Customer Service Outcomes to assigned Clinical Service Unit(s).

Requirements

Possess strong customer service skills/interpersonal interactions; ability to handle difficult and angry people constructively; savvy enough to interact with physicians/senior leadership
Excellent analytical skills, including analysis, planning, organizing, and troubleshooting
Proficient in Windows-based operating software/systems
Good oral and written communication skills; presentations skills
Ability to work with minimal supervision
Adaptability with high tolerance for ambiguous work situations
Knowledge of health care, HMO/health insurance and/or Duke Medical Center experience
Must work in conjunction with staff in a supportive way to troubleshoot and resolve issues
Must be visible to staff, offering support and modeling service behaviors and concern resolution processes
Must be able to address difficult, awkward situations with tact and diplomacy
Must be a team player and have proven success applying a team approach to obtain resolution to an issue or successfully accomplish a goal.
Must be informed regulatory healthcare representatives for the patient and organization; must be able to communicate patient and visitor rights and responsibilities to patients, family members, and staff
Bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science or related field.
Three years of customer service experience, preferably in a health care setting.

Nice To Haves

Strong writing skills, particularly for grievance responses; excellent communication and service recovery skills.
Notary Public Preferred, Expected to receive within first 90 days of employment

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary resource for addressing and resolving patient concerns across inpatient and outpatient settings.
Respond to patient complaints in real time, partnering with unit and departmental leadership to facilitate effective service recovery, and ensuring a positive patient experience.
Manage and document patient complaints and grievances within RL6 in accordance with CMS regulatory requirements and established timelines.
Assist patients and families with notarization of Healthcare Power of Attorney (HCPOA) and Durable/Financial Power of Attorney documents, follow established escalation protocols when appropriate, and collaborate with Patient Relations and Patient Visitor Relations (PVR) teams across DUHS to ensure concerns are routed, addressed, and resolved efficiently.
Facilitate resolution of complaints/grievances/requests for Patients & Visitors for assigned Clinical Service Unit.
Respond to suggestions and compliments submitted by patients and provide positive reinforcement to involved staff.
Document patient/visitor concerns to include patient demographic data, synopsis of incident, actions taken to resolve, and outcome; input into Feedback Monitor database.
Compose letters or e-mails to patients, visitors, or PDC/Health System physicians, leadership, ensuring grammatical accuracy and according to the terms of the Duke grievance policy.
Coordinate interventions/services with PDC Customer Service and Patient Relations, Patient and Visitor Relations and Risk Management.
Collaborate with unit leadership to meet customer service and clinical quality outcomes for the customer service segment of the balanced scorecard on assigned CSU.
Identify systems related problems, via patient/visitor data, and work collaboratively with physicians, administrators and staff to resolve.
Conduct monthly accountability and variance analysis of balanced scorecard customer service outcomes.
Analyze complaint/grievance data and collaborate with CSU Leadership and staff on a monthly basis.
Assist in the preparation of annual and quarterly executive reports for senior leadership; present data to leadership teams.
Develop a consultant relationship with assigned clinics/units to build and sustain a patient/customer-focused culture.
Lead Customer Service Training for staff on assigned CSU.
Participate on committees, work groups, and/or process improvement teams that improve patient/customer satisfaction.
Notarize Advance Directives for DUHS/PDC patients by request; serve as a resource to answer questions regarding Advance Directives.
Influence change across the Clinical Service Unit.
Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.