Patient Relations Specialist, Patient Safety

Beth Israel Lahey Health

8d • $79,997 - $119,995 • Hybrid

About The Position

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you’re making a difference in people’s lives. BIDMC is seeking a dynamic Patient Relations Specialist to join the Healthcare Quality Department promoting Just Culture and High Reliability. Reporting to the Director of Patient Safety, the Patient Relations Specialist will be responsible for collaborating to ensure a compassionate, supportive, and safe environment for patients and families. Serving as a liaison between patients, families, and all hospital departments, this role addresses concerns while advocating for patient needs. The Patient Relations Specialist will respond to patient inquiries with empathy and work to resolve issues promptly, encouraging positive patient experiences. Additionally, this role supports the hospital's Patient Safety and Risk Management program. The Patient Relations Specialist will also assist with external agency surveys, reporting, and process improvements. They will contribute to ongoing patient safety, risk management, and patient relations education and training efforts within and outside of the department.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Minimum of 3-5 years’ related work experience required in Patient Relations, Patient Safety, Quality Assurance, Risk Management, and/or Claims Investigation, including extensive experience collaborating with all healthcare role types and levels of seniority on mitigation of adverse events and process improvements
• Formal training in Just Culture and High Reliability Organization (HRO) methodology required
• Advanced skills with Microsoft applications, which may include Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Access and other web-based applications. May produce complex documents, perform analysis and maintain databases
• Ability to make decisions that are guided by precedents, policies and objectives. Regularly makes decisions and recommendations on issues affecting a department or functional area.
• Ability to address problems that are highly varied, complex and often non-recurring, requiring staff input, innovative, creative, and Lean diagnostic techniques to resolve issues.
• Ability to set goals and priorities for functional area. May make recommendations for department policies, practices and programs. Manager or Director provides broad guidance and overall direction.
• Ability to communicate complex information in English effectively in writing to all levels of staff, management and external customers across functional areas.
• Ability to verbally communicate complex concepts in English and address sensitive situations, resolve conflicts, negotiate, motivate and persuade others.
• Ability to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of concepts, practices and policies with the ability to use them in complex varied situations.
• Ability to act as a team leader for small projects or work groups, creating a collaborative and respectful team environment and improving workflows. Results may impact the operations of one or more departments.
• Ability to provide a high level of customer service and staff training to meet customer service standards and expectations for the assigned unit(s). Resolves service issues in the assigned unit(s) in a timely and respectful manner.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Liaison between patients, families, staff, and providers to respond to inquiries, complaints, feedback, and compliments received including those from insurance companies and other agencies
• Screens, triages, and manages high volume of incoming telephone calls, emails, and letters in a fast-paced working environment
• Consults with and provides support to front line staff, providers, and leaders on how to respond to patient concerns
• Coordinates timely investigation, review, response, and resolution of patient complaints/grievances per enterprise and regulatory requirements
• Participates in internal and external reporting of patient complaint and survey data as required by regulators, payers, and accrediting organizations
• Interprets the Patient's Bill of Rights, hospital policies and non-medical procedures to patients/families
• Accurately tracks and performs quality assurance of feedback entered in the STARS Reporting System
• Proactively monitors trends in patient/family concerns/complaints to identify systematic, process, or barriers to the delivery of patient/family-centered care.
• Escalates complex cases to Manager and Director, keeping them informed of outstanding or unresolved incidents
• Participates in regular case review meetings, audits of complaint/grievance files, providing status reports to leadership
• Attends meetings on site and virtually as required
• Authors letters of resolution, expectations, and termination

Benefits

• Vaccinated against influenza (flu)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level