Patient Advocate

UMC Health System

12d

About The Position

We’ve learned that what is best for patients is also best for employees. Learn more about why we are one of the Best Companies to Work for in Texas®. JOB SUMMARY: This position is responsible for strengthening our culture of service, specifically by assisting the Director with developing strategies and education to all levels of the organization to equip leaders with the skills and resources that exceed customer expectations in a financially responsible manner. When services fail to exceed expectations, this position acts as an advocate for patients and their families to facilitate improved communication efficiency and customer satisfaction. This position is responsible for the visitation of patients and/or family members and guest, but may at any time be called to follow-up in any area of the hospital. Advocates will respond to answer questions regarding patient care policies and treatment, listen to and assist in resolving patient/customer complaints and/or concerns and assist UMC in achieving a satisfactory outcome to report to hospital departments involved. This process is to include verbal and/or written summaries of concerns for departmental/hospital use. The position will help audit on-going Patient Satisfaction initiatives, while documenting findings and results in an easy-to-read format.

Requirements

A High School Diploma or GED is required.
Coordinators must have knowledge of service excellence / customer service principles and practices, and a strong working knowledge of process improvement, customer relations, conflict resolution strategies, and project development.
Must have excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills to effectively interact and provide assistance to a diverse group of individuals.
Coordinators must be able to effectively document / communicate procedural steps taken to resolve issues / concerns.
Advocates must have excellent priority management skills and the ability to consistently meet organizational / department deadlines and objectives.
Advocates must be persons of influence while being able to pursue positive change, i.e. must be able to inspire change across multiple disciples.
Advocates should be emotionally and physically fit.
The work of this position is balanced between sitting, standing, walking, lifting, and carrying.
This position requires the ability to hear and speak with others, verbal communication is necessary to improve service delivery.
Employees must be able to see since they monitor the physical appearance of the hospital.
A high level of energy is needed, as this position encounters and maintains high activity, as a daily physical appearance is required to visit customers.

Nice To Haves

Undergraduate degree in education, business, or some field concerned with meeting the service needs of others is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Responds to patient concerns, while managing and maintaining records of the process in accordance with departmental policies and CMS Regulations.
Holds on-call phone during normal business hours, addressing, resolving, and completing all paperwork of service issues within the CMS regulated timeline. Rotates into a weekly/monthly on-call schedule while arranging own coverage when absent.
Attendance and participation in unit - specific patient care initiatives; attendance and participation in appropriate department and/or organization meetings.
Assist in maintaining the physical appearance of the facility; notify appropriate departments as when deficiencies or other needs are encountered and updating the Service Development Director of actions taken.
Be familiar with the operation of the RL Solutions system so the work-flow will run in a smooth and efficient manner. Log in, track, report, and investigate complaints concerning UMC Departments and taking necessary action to resolve issues.
Provides consultation and support to managers and departments on the creation and implementation of their patient experience action plans. (Collaborates with managers, Supports implementation, models service behaviors, and assists with reporting/presentations).
Collects, analyzes, and interprets patient experience results (i.e. complaints/grievances) to assess efficacy of the Patient Experience Strategy. (Logs and maintains records of all complimentary letters & prepares department & unit level reports via Press Ganey and/or RL Solutions).
Oversees various Best Practices assigned by the Department Director.