Patient Advocate | Patient Experience | Day | Full-Time

About the Role

The Patient Experience Advocate supports and enhances the patient experience by proactively acting on behalf of patients and families. This role ensures that concerns or perceptions about quality of care and/or service delivered by any member of the UF Health Shands team are heard in a timely fashion and addressed appropriately. Responsibilities include investigating, resolving, documenting, and reporting organizational-specific patient, family, and visitor compliments, complaints, and grievances.

The Patient Experience Advocate will develop, implement, and participate in patient experience initiatives related to the Hospital. They will serve as a trusted and informal information resource, communication channel facilitator, consultant, and practitioner for dispute resolution. The role involves seeking fair and equitable solutions to patient-caregiver problems, suggesting dispute resolution processes for addressing and managing conflicts, and providing input to unit and departmental Managers on policy, procedural, and practice changes to maintain patient rights. The Patient Advocate promotes effective relationships and communication between patients and caregivers.

Responsibilities

• Resolve complaints and grievances in a calm manner.
• Investigate, document, and report patient, family, and visitor compliments, complaints, and grievances.
• Develop, implement, and participate in patient experience initiatives.
• Serve as a trusted resource and facilitator for dispute resolution.
• Seek fair and equitable solutions to patient-caregiver problems.
• Suggest dispute resolution processes for managing conflicts.
• Provide input on policy, procedural, and practice changes to maintain patient rights.
• Promote effective relationships and communication between patients and caregivers.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in healthcare, business, or a related field is required. Five years of verifiable experience as a Patient Advocate in an academic health center may be considered in lieu of the degree.
• High regard for protecting confidentiality of patient and corporate information.
• Strong customer service skills and ability to relate to people of diverse backgrounds, training, and experience.
• Ability to address difficult, awkward situations with tact and diplomacy.
• Proven ability to handle angry people constructively and maintain a high energy level.
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiating skills with the ability to influence across functional lines.
• Must be a team player with proven success applying a team approach to resolve issues or accomplish goals.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with the ability to rapidly learn job-specific applications.

Qualifications

• Ability to facilitate groups is highly desirable.
• Three years of recent experience in an acute care hospital facility is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of CMS CoP regulations and The Joint Commission standards for patient complaints and grievances.
• Familiarity with medical terminology and service improvement methodologies.