Patient Relations Specialist

at  UPMC

The specialist will function as a liaison between patients/families and the hospital to provide exemplary experiences to both the patients we serve, their families and fellow employees. The Specialist must understand the root causes of patient/family complaints and have the ability to effectively communicate these findings to the multi-disciplinary care team and hospital administration. The Specialist is responsible for efficient and courteous resolution to verbal/written inquires, while maintaining all service and quality standards. The Specialist must understand and consistently identify and participate in opportunities to improve HCAHPS and Star Ratings.

• The specialist will work closely with clinical and non-clinical staff to initiate review and respond to patient and family/caregiver concerns, comments, requests for service, complaints, and grievances with any aspect of their health care experience in a timely and comprehensive manner.
• Accurately participate in, as well as oversee, the documentation of problems and activities on behalf of patients and families.
• Provide exemplary customer service by rounding and greeting patients and guests in all designated departments. Recognize and respond to patient / family concerns while demonstrating leadership and communication skills to de-escalate situations and utilize conflict-management techniques to improve patient experiences.
• Cultivate patient centered awareness and foster a service mentality among fellow employees to enhance patient and employee experiences
• Act as an internal consultant for optimal patient experiences.
• Collaborate with leadership in developing and implementing strategies to achieve and sustain a five-star patient experience and hospital HCAHP goals.
• Investigate missing/damaged belonging cases for the hospital and propose sustainable QI efforts to minimize the likelihood of future lost belongings.
• Carry out requirements of complaint management policy and procedure in accordance with hospital policy and CMS regulations.
• Coordinate and participate in family meetings and care conferences as a support person for family members by providing assistance in understanding, interpreting and organizing information for inquiry resolution. Document all family meetings and resolutions efforts.
• Participate in unit activities, and partner with unit leadership to identify opportunities to improve the patient experience
• Participate on, as well as lead, committees related to patient family-centered care or service excellence.
• Act as the hospital lead for the UPMC Intermediation Program.
• Respond to all condition HELP calls during working hours, and lead the debriefing session following the Condition HELP response. Document details of the condition HELP and debriefing.
• Respond to all inquiries regarding interpretation services and accommodations for patients.
• Serve as the department lead for regulatory requests such as DOH, when the Manager is absence.
• Collaborate with the Quality and Patient Safety teams to assure that clinical concerns are reviewed and escalated appropriately.
• Bachelor’s degree; OR an Associate’s degree and 3 years of customer service experience; OR HS Diploma and 5 years of customer service experience.
• 1 year of health care experience required.
• Ability to command resources, influence peers and problem solve complex situations.
• Understand quality improvement principle and lead small work teams to improve processes.
• Able to demonstrate conflict resolution and critical thinking and communication skills during difficult situations for patients and families.Strong computer skills and ability to work independently.
• UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran