Patient Relations Specialist

UPMC•Pittsburgh, PA

17h

About The Position

The Patient Relations Specialist serves as a liaison between patients and families and the hospital, supporting exemplary experiences for patients, families, and employees. The role identifies root causes of patient and family complaints and communicates findings to multidisciplinary care teams and hospital administration. The Specialist resolves verbal and written inquiries courteously and efficiently while maintaining service and quality standards, and participates in efforts to improve HCAHPS and Star Ratings. The Specialist works with clinical and non-clinical staff to review and respond to patient and family concerns, requests, comments, complaints, and grievances. The role documents issues and resolution activities, rounds in designated departments, supports family meetings and care conferences, and advises on patient experience. Additional responsibilities include coordinating responses to Condition HELP calls, leading debriefings, investigating missing or damaged belongings, supporting regulatory requests, and collaborating with Quality and Patient Safety teams.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree; or an Associate's degree and 3 years of customer service experience; or a high school diploma and 5 years of customer service experience.
At least 1 year of health care experience.
Ability to command resources, influence peers, and problem-solve complex situations.
Understanding of quality-improvement principles and ability to lead small work teams to improve processes.
Conflict-resolution, critical-thinking, and communication skills for difficult situations involving patients and families.
Strong computer skills and ability to work independently.
Act 34 clearance.

Responsibilities

Work with clinical and non-clinical staff to review and respond promptly and comprehensively to patient and family or caregiver concerns, comments, service requests, complaints, and grievances.
Participate in and oversee accurate documentation of patient and family problems and related activities.
Round and greet patients and guests in designated departments, provide exemplary customer service, recognize concerns, de-escalate situations, and use conflict-management techniques.
Promote patient-centered awareness and a service mentality among employees.
Act as an internal consultant on optimal patient experiences.
Collaborate with leadership to develop and implement strategies for achieving and sustaining a five-star patient experience and hospital HCAHPS goals.
Investigate missing or damaged belongings cases and propose sustainable quality-improvement efforts to reduce future losses.
Carry out complaint management policy and procedure requirements in accordance with hospital policy and CMS regulations.
Coordinate and participate in family meetings and care conferences, help family members understand, interpret, and organize information, and document meetings and resolution efforts.
Participate in unit activities and work with unit leadership to identify patient-experience improvement opportunities.
Participate in and lead committees related to patient- and family-centered care or service excellence.
Serve as the hospital lead for the UPMC Intermediation Program.
Respond to Condition HELP calls during working hours, lead the post-response debriefing, and document the call and debriefing.
Respond to inquiries about interpretation services and patient accommodations.
Serve as the department lead for regulatory requests such as Department of Health requests when the Manager is absent.
Collaborate with Quality and Patient Safety teams to ensure clinical concerns are reviewed and escalated appropriately.