Patient Representative

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Job Title:
Patient Representative

Department:
East Patient Experience

Scope of Department

The Patient Experience Department is responsible for supporting a patient and family-centered culture and leading initiatives designed to evaluate and improve the patient experience. Departmental functions include patient experience measurement and strategy, patient relations, patient and family advisory programs, interpreter services, pastoral care, and information desk services. The Patient Experience Department is responsible for meeting accreditation and regulatory standards related to patient rights, organizational ethics and resolution of patient concerns.

Scope of Position

The Patient Experience Representative (Patient Representative) provides personalized guidance and support that promotes a positive patient/family experience throughout their care continuum. The Patient Experience Representative anticipates and      identifies needs by soliciting input and addressing any issues or concerns. The Patient Representative oversees arrival and departure experiences of guests and patients, and works to build relationships with patients, families, volunteers, students, and staff through Visitor Management policies, software and procedures to create an environment where optimum patient experience and positive patient satisfaction flourishes.  The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is committed to enhancing the quality of care provided to patients and families.  This position is responsible for providing family support, education, mediation/issue resolution, project support, and patient information in the Specialty Waiting areas and hospital entrances so that optimal quality and communication can be achieved.  This position supports the development, implementation and coordination of programs and services that promote positive patient relations and patient/family satisfaction including promoting customer service behaviors and First Impressions skills. 

Position Summary:

The Patient Representative functions include responding to family and visitor concerns employing through empathetic verbal communication, intervention, interpersonal, diplomacy, and conflict management skills and strategies, and service recovery approaches to work to facilitate and resolve perceived issues with a wide variety of customers using excellent judgement.  This employee provides proactive customer service interventions by anticipating the needs and feelings of families and visitors.  The Patient Representative utilizes, as necessary, interpersonal, diplomacy, and conflict management skills, and service recovery approaches.  This position provides coaching to volunteers, students and staff on appropriate behaviors, conflict resolution tactics, responses and skills to promote positive perceptions; assists with providing patient and visitor information; and works to improve processes to elevate the service levels provided.

Effective and timely communication is the primary tool and goal of the Patient Representative.  Because the waiting area environment can sometimes become overwhelming and confusing to families and visitors, the Patient Representative, actively communicates family issues, questions, and concerns; regular rounding in the Specialty Waiting Areas, lobbies, and escorting to nursing units, also helps to facilitate communication and updates to families and visitors.  This employee will be responsible for providing important non-clinical information, and clinical information when appropriate, to families and visitors.  The Patient Representative Experience Representative responds to patient, family and visitor concerns through personal interaction with families and visitors, collaboration with volunteers, and connections with other OSUWMC services, as well as escalating to Patient Coordinators.  The Patient Representative ensures family and visitor needs for information, visitation, physical comfort, and emotional and spiritual support are met. 

The Patient Representative reports directly to the Manager of Public Spaces in the Patient Experience Department. While on duty, the Patient Representative works with the Perioperative Service team and patient care staff. The Patient Representative provides regular updates to the on-duty charge nurse or Nurse Manager of the OR control desk or PACU regarding customer service and patient relations issues. The Patient Representative documents interactions with patients and families via the online tracking system and keeps a log of complaints/issues which is turned in to the Public Spaces Manager. 

Duties and Responsibilities

45% Oversight and support of a positive patient experience

• Proactively engages families and visitors using appropriate communication and customer service behaviors in order to determine unmet needs and/or to answer questions.
• Makes visitation access decisions with reference to status and location of patient being visited, isolation precautions, and/or procedure location, and assure clinical appropriateness for patient visitation in partnership with nursing team, including patient’s direct bedside nurses.  
• Works with sensitive clinical information, and partners with compliance officer guidance concerning what patient information can, and cannot be shared with guests, including handling challenging scenarios that have a “No-Release of Information status” or declining visitation to individuals determined to be on “Deny Entry list.
• Applies judgement in how best to communicate relevant information related to the Specialty Waiting Area and resolve patent and visitor non-clinical concerns for families and visitors.  This can include providing rational for potential delays in care, making arrangements for patient and family belongings, guiding guests through the admission/transfer process, as well as arranging for same-day surgery discharge process, and proactively communicating what to expect during surgery or procedure suites family and guest areas.
• Provides for the comfort and non-clinical needs of Specialty Waiting Area families as well as arriving and departing patients and guests, to include the provision of surgery or procedural updates, arranges post procedure family/guest updates, and other comfort items. Provides assistance with parking and other Medical Center-wide access issues, to reduce guest concerns and help them feel welcome and informed.

• Formulates and participates in action plans designed to address opportunities to improve the patient experience
• Applies non-clinical judgement to address visitor, patient and guests concerns and make access determinations my referencing isolation procedures, as well as clinical staff judgement to assure visitation practices are consistent with establishing a “Culture of Safety” for OSUWMC staff, faculty, guests, students and patients.
• Develops and utilizes guidelines to training Information Associates, Student Assistants, and Volunteer Ambassadors to make determinations and use decision tools to apply visitation policies, as well as triage patients to correct registration locations in advance of their clinical appointment.
• Proactive services such as rounding on patients, families, staff, and providers to anticipate guest needs.
• Works with Staff, students and volunteers to promote, facilitate, and coach staff to use patient experience service behaviors to facilitate Initiation and coordination of activities designed to improve the patient and  guest experience
• Responds to highly emotional situations in the Specialty Waiting Area such as trauma admissions, cardiac arrests, emergent surgery, or other extreme emergencies to provide support and encouragement to family members.  Works with Perioperative staff and medical staff to keep families informed during these events. 
• Applies judgement to determine best resources procedures for escalation of more complex patient and visitor issues, and maintains relationships with staff from other departments to assist in problem resolution.
• Works collaboratively with Social Services and Department of Chaplaincy in meeting the needs of patients and families when such services are needed.
• Intervenes in difficult and sometimes highly emotional situations to help alleviate the concerns and resolve perceived issues expressed to them by families, visitors, staff, and physicians. 
• In partnership with patient care and medical staff, employs interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and conflict management approaches to provide support for patients, families, visitors and staff who may be involved in an issue. 
• Investigates complaints/issues, problem solves situations, takes action or refers issues to individual or department for appropriate resolution and implements service recovery approaches to convey a positive image of the Medical Center.
• Follows up with family and visitors verbally or in writing.  Documents and tracks complaints for their inclusion into trended reports.  
• Serves as a resource to families, visitors and staff regarding family support services within the Medical Center and the community.  Provides verbal and /or written information as needed. 
• Partners with volunteers assigned to the Specialty Waiting Area to provide support and education; collaborates to initiate new programs and projects.

30% Concern Identification and Resolution

• Proactively identifies potential areas of concern and acts appropriately to address
• Systematic reporting functions, including patient comments, complaints, lost property, provider-related complaints and others
• Committee involvement and project management related to improving the patient experience
• Documents actions and interventions with patients and families as appropriate. Enters information into the online tracking system and turns in log of activities/complaints/interventions to the Manager of Public Spaces.
• Provides positive feedback when appropriate to Perioperative staff and faculty related to family satisfaction/customer service issues.  This would include the writing of notes and letters to involved staff and faculty.
• Receives concerns from a variety of sources and in a variety of formats including written, in-person, and over the phone.
• Discerns underlying causes for concerns and resolves the concern as well as takes appropriate action to reduce risk of repeated issues
• Role model’s meaningful interactions designed to de-escalate high intensity situations
• Demonstrates excellent judgement and discretion in offering personalized resolutions to patient and family concerns in a complex and changing environment
• Supports processes and systems in place to address and report concerns including Property Loss.
• Demonstrates exceptional patient experience, hospitality, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
• Analysis and use of patient satisfaction survey data and other “voice of the patient” sources to identify opportunities for recognition and improvement

20%    Education and Coaching

• Supports programs, services that promote positive family relations and customer satisfaction. 

• Supports the measurement of the effectiveness of programs and services.
• As assigned, works on special projects and customer service initiatives.
• As invited, participates on departmental and hospital committees and groups.
• Stays current with evidence-based best practices and industry-leading best practices to improve consumer experiences
• Provides staff, student and volunteer education and coaching based on best practices and organizational priorities
• Conducts job shadowing and/or observations upon request for personalized staff or provider support
• One-to-one coaching and problem solving

Competencies Required

Shows strong understanding and demonstrates positive behaviors associated with the following competencies:

• Service Orientation
• Effective Interpersonal Communications
• Conflict Resolution
• Accountability
• Teamwork
• Process Management
• Ability to anticipate needs
• Excellent Judgement on a wide variety of escalated situations
• Make decisions using available information

Organizational Expectations

Practices within the Medical Center’s policies and procedures. Adheres to The OSUWMC Values and Mission statements as demonstrated through positive patient/guest relations, positive and effective interactions with staff, and formulating and meeting developmental goals.

Minimum Qualifications

For Hire:  Experience equivalent to 1 year of full-time employment in a clinical or critical care area role.  Evidence of customer service skills/training and ability to collaborate with a variety of individuals across the organization.  Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of experience is preferred.  Excellent verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal, conflict resolution, problem solving and program planning skills; ability to work effectively with all levels of the organization is required.  Evidence of highly refined interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, problem solving, program planning, and writing and verbal communication skills.

Ongoing: Maintains knowledge of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s policies and procedures and functions within those guidelines; maintains positive patient and guest relations.  Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries and complaints from families and visitors.  Ability to define problems collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.  Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.  

Job Relationships

Supervisory Responsibility:  students, volunteers

Contacts: Medical Center staff, patients, students, volunteers and visitors

Responsible to: Manager, Patient Experience

Physical/Visual/Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions, typical of such places as offices and meeting rooms (e.g., use of safe-work practices, avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire regulations and traffic signs).

Additional Information:

Location:
Outpatient Care East (0837)

Position Type:
Regular

Scheduled Hours:
40

Shift:
First Shift

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check.  A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

Thank you for your interest in positions at The Ohio State University and Wexner Medical Center. Once you have applied, the most updated information on the status of your application can be found by visiting the Candidate Home section of this site. Please view your submitted applications by logging in and reviewing your status. For answers to additional questions please review the frequently asked questions .

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, protected veteran status, or any other basis under the law.

Applicants are encouraged to complete and submit the Equal Employment Identification form.