Patient Relations & Risk Management Coordinator (FT) | Risk & Patient Relations | Ames | 2026-218

McFarland Brand 2016-09-29•Ames, IA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

McFarland Clinic is seeking a compassionate, collaborative, and detail-oriented Patient Relations & Risk Management Coordinator to join our team in Ames. This position is ideal for a healthcare professional who is passionate about patient advocacy, service excellence, quality improvement, and clinical risk management. As a key member of our Patient Relations and Risk Management team, this role will help foster positive patient experiences, support safe and equitable resolution of concerns, and promote a culture of learning and continuous improvement. We are looking for an individual who embraces teamwork, values accountability, and is committed to advancing patient-centered care through a Just Culture approach. If you are driven to make a meaningful impact and support our mission of Extraordinary Care, Every Day, we encourage you to apply. The Patient Relations & Risk Management Coordinator serves as a vital role in managing patient concerns, grievances, and clinical risk management activities. This role collaborates closely with patients, families, healthcare teams, and organizational leadership to promote patient satisfaction, identify opportunities for improvement, and support a fair and consistent approach to accountability and patient safety. The coordinator plays an important role in strengthening organizational learning, supporting service recovery efforts, and advancing a culture where employees feel safe reporting concerns and opportunities for improvement. This role offers a unique opportunity to expand expertise beyond traditional patient care and leverages clinical expertise in a non-bedside role while continuing to make a meaningful impact on patient care, safety, quality, and organizational improvement. This role will allow for the development of specialized skills in patient advocacy, healthcare risk management, patient safety, regulatory compliance, quality improvement, and Just Culture principles. Working closely with organizational leaders, clinical teams, and quality and safety initiatives, this role provides valuable experience in investigation and resolution processes, root cause analysis, service recovery, and systems-based improvement efforts. This position can serve as an excellent career pathway for professionals interested in leadership, patient experience, quality, compliance, or risk management. To support comprehensive onboarding and training, this position requires onsite presence initially. Following successful completion of the training period, employees may have the opportunity to transition to a hybrid work schedule based on departmental needs and organizational guidelines.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited school of nursing; or Degree and applicable licensure in a health-related field.
Minimum of two years of experience in direct patient care, patient experience, patient relations, risk management, quality improvement, or related healthcare setting.
Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Strong conflict resolution, mediation, and problem-solving abilities.
Demonstrated empathy and commitment to patient-centered care.
Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail and confidentiality.
Knowledge of healthcare regulations, patient rights, risk management principles, and service recovery practices.
Ability to analyze situations objectively and facilitate fair, balanced outcomes.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and electronic healthcare systems.
Pre-employment drug screen and criminal history background checks are a condition of hire.

Nice To Haves

Experience in patient relations, risk management, quality, compliance, or healthcare leadership.
Familiarity with Just Culture principles, patient safety practices, and healthcare regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary contact for patient and family concerns, feedback, and service recovery needs.
Act as a liaison between patients, families, providers, and care teams to promote respectful, compassionate, and high-quality care.
Assist patients in navigating clinic and community resources.
Promote patient rights, responsibilities, and effective communication.
Collaborate with clinical departments and leadership to resolve concerns fairly and efficiently using Just Culture principles.
Provide timely service recovery with empathy, professionalism, and a solutions-focused approach.
Prepare clear, professional correspondence that addresses concerns and communicates resolutions.
Manage and track patient grievances in accordance with regulatory requirements and clinic policies.
Conduct investigations, gather relevant information, and facilitate timely resolution of concerns.
Coordinate responses involving external regulatory and oversight agencies when applicable.
Apply Just Culture decision-making principles to support objective and consistent review of events.
Support clinical risk management activities and related initiatives.
Identify trends and opportunities for improvement through data review and analysis.
Participate in root cause analyses, event reviews, and other quality improvement processes.
Utilize Just Culture methodologies to distinguish system factors from behavioral choices and support appropriate responses.
Promote a psychologically safe environment that encourages reporting concerns, near misses, and opportunities for improvement.
Provide guidance and education related to patient advocacy, service recovery, and risk reduction strategies.
Support organization-wide initiatives to enhance communication skills.
Assist with the development and delivery of education related to Just Culture, patient safety, event reporting, and fair accountability practices.