Patient Safety Leader

University of Maryland Medical System•Baltimore, MD

2d•$32 - $45

About The Position

General Summary Evaluate patient safety events and coordinate with hospital leadership, clinical teams, and Risk Management to promote a culture of high reliability and zero harm. Partner with UMMC departments and the Maryland Medicine Comprehensive Insurance Program (MMCIP) to develop and implement risk reduction strategies that enhance patient safety. Lead and guide multidisciplinary teams, including physicians and senior leaders, in executing patient safety initiatives and improvement strategies across UMMC. Work is performed under limited supervision. Direct report to the Manager, Patient Safety/Patient Safety Officer.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, or related health care field, or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Three years’ experience performing patient safety activities in a hospital, acute care facility, or similar.
Current licensure in Nursing in the State of Maryland.
Familiarity with applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations that govern patient safety.
Familiarity with quality improvement measurement, analysis and improvement strategies.
Familiarity with all phases of safety processes and safety standards.
Ability to successfully motivate and inspire team members to high performance levels.
Demonstrated ability to implement new programs.
Ability to develop collaborative programs and projects with other disciplines.
Ability to contribute to team effectiveness and facilitate departmental and organization-wide improvements.
Basic project management skills including taking ideas through the full project management life cycle (e.g., initiation, planning, execution, and closure).
Effective analytical, conceptual thinking, planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Effective skill presenting findings, conclusions, alternatives and information clearly and concisely at all levels within the organization.
Effective skill developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships with all levels of leadership, staff and vendors.
Exhibit high self-motivation and ability to work and plan independently as well as in a team environment.
Effective skill in the use of Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Effective verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Nursing, or related health care field.
Experience in an academic medical center.
Professional Patient Safety (CPPS) Certification.

Responsibilities

Assist in the coordination and implementation of activities in the journey to become a high reliability organization with a focus on zero harm.
Coordinate with the Manager of Patient Safety/PSO and senior leadership to direct the patient safety program.
Work with leadership, staff and physicians to provide a planned, systematic approach to identify, measure, monitor, and evaluate patient safety and improvement activities.
Collaborate with and provide guidance to clinical department/service line and operational leadership.
Review patient records and prepare patient safety event summaries and timelines for informed, collaborative discussion and problem solving.
Coordinate root cause analysis, including investigations, root cause analysis facilitation, and apparent cause analyses with subsequent follow up action plans in accordance with The Joint Commission and State of Maryland Code of Regulations for sentinel event and adverse event review, reporting and improvement plans.
Facilitate action plan development and completion
Partner with UMMC leadership to facilitate, prioritize and advance the ongoing focus on a culture of patient safety.
Assist with developing and revising UMMC policies and procedures, interpreting and ensuring compliance with UMMC policies, quality standards, regulations and codes.
Assist the Manager of Patient Safety in activities to improve event reporting and response to safety events and near miss events.
Collaborate with leaders in safety, quality, performance improvement and data management to determine optimal utilization of data to drive improvements in Patient Safety and minimize harm.
Responsible for communication and education regarding patient safety and risk prevention strategies throughout the hospital and ambulatory setting.
Develop and implement education for employees and medical staff related to patient safety.
Publish regular “Lessons Learned” for care teams as well as Clinical Practice Updates and Safety Flashes.
Serve as a consultant and resource to unit managers and unit/department clinical representatives and assist clinical and ancillary departments with the development of clinical and/or patient safety indicators, criteria, and process improvements.
Responsible for reviewing daily event reports and notifying appropriate managers for follow up, as indicated and escalate to leadership as needed.
Develop reports to identify patterns and trends; track trends and anticipate events to reduce preventable harm.
Identify nominees for monthly Great Catch awards.
Identify and investigate patient safety events, opportunities, trends and sentinel events.
Participate in educational programs including orientation related to patient safety and the prevention of medical errors and compliance with regulatory standards.
Participate in Proactive Risk Assessments/FMEAs as required.
Conduct chart reviews and interviews for safety event reviews and RCA discussions to investigate patient safety and adverse events
Assist with the implementation of the Safety Culture Assessment survey instrument.
Assist individual work areas as results become available and collate action plans.
Serve as a member of hospital committees and teams as requested for the purpose of ensuring that patient safety and the prevention of medical errors are addressed as needed.
Assist the Patient Safety Manager/Patient Safety Officer with preparing and submitting reports to the State and The Joint Commission.
Ensure compliance with external regulators and accrediting agencies (e.g., The Joint Commission, CMS, Maryland State Department of Health Office of Healthcare Quality.
Ensure that Medical Center and departmental policies, procedures and standards meet requirements and regulations of regulatory and accrediting agencies related to patient safety.
Support patient safety projects discovered through event reports, adverse events, or data trends.
Perform other duties as assigned.