Patient Safety and Quality Specialist, Ambulatory

About the role

The Patient Safety and Quality Specialist, Ambulatory, supports quality, patient safety, regulatory, and high-reliability initiatives across various ambulatory services at Hackensack Meridian Health. This role collaborates with clinical and operational leaders to drive transformational and sustainable improvements in patient outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead transformation efforts for assigned ambulatory services by organizing and executing quality and process improvement projects using high-reliability principles and agile tactics.
• Identify improvement priorities for HMH initiatives and clinical transformation services based on evidence-based practices.
• Develop methods to engage team members in quality and safety work, including providing education and coaching on QI principles.
• Implement and maintain a supportive infrastructure for the quality, patient safety, and high-reliability program in collaboration with HMH and JV leadership.
• Advance the science of safety and quality by sharing methods, results, and lessons learned from improvement projects.
• Conduct trend analysis of performance data against internal and external benchmarks to identify improvement opportunities and track progress.
• Collaborate with JV partners to develop and enhance quality and patient safety scorecards aligned with national best practices.
• Organize and participate in leadership meetings to present progress on performance initiatives, patient safety issues, and updates on publicly reported data.
• Conduct record reviews to ensure safe care was provided and share findings with leadership and clinical staff.
• Support local and network efforts to enhance patient safety by participating in the analysis, investigation, and classification of event reports.
• Encourage event reporting and develop processes to identify near-miss, precursor, and serious safety events.
• Enhance transparency by communicating safety and quality events, concerns, and needs to local leadership.
• Monitor standard practices to ensure compliance with external regulatory and accrediting agencies.
• Collaborate with hospital, quality, and JV partners to develop and maintain strategies for regulatory compliance.
• Support efforts to enhance the patient experience by reviewing patient experience data, investigating grievances, and assisting in the development of action plans.
• Enhance professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, and networking to maintain expertise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Healthcare, or a related Health Science field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in a healthcare setting.
• Ability to manage ambulatory-focused quality improvement projects.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace (Sheets, Slides, Docs), including the use of pivot tables and visualization tools.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to present quality outcomes to physician and senior leadership.
• Strong planning and organizational skills with the ability to work independently, multitask, and prioritize in a timeline-driven environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills that include but are not limited to Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office platforms.