ER PATIENT LIAISON - Aultman Health Foundation

PURPOSE OF POSITION

This position serves in a dual position, first, as a liaison between our patients and families and the organization. The Patient and Family experience liaison will support strategic direction and goals for patient experience. This will be measured by the Liaison’s collaboration with stakeholders across the organization to work toward the prevention and remediation of patient and/or family complaints and grievances and doing so in a timely and empathetic manner.

The Liaison will be stationed in the waiting room/triage area and will make frequent rounds in the area, as well as the care treatment area interacting with patients and observing the patient experience to ensure patient satisfaction and performing immediate service recovery when needs, concerns and/or problems with an aspect of the hospital services are indicated. The Liaison will be expected to employ the key principles of service recovery and High Reliability initiatives, strategies, processes and procedures while ensuring the protection of PHI in the daily operations of Service Excellence. The Liaison functions as a primary source of information regarding delays and patient flow, promotes a “patient first” culture through role modeling outstanding customer services skills and attitude, consults with Emergency Room colleagues, physicians, and provides leadership on innovative approaches to providing an excellent patient experience and advocating patient rights. Provides information, communication updates, comfort measures, direction and assistance to patients and visitors presenting to the Aultman Hospital Emergency Department for clinical services

Additionally, this role specializes in the compassionate communicative intake of patient and family concerns to help build a system culture committed to our vision of improving the patient experience, patient centered care and a culture of respect. In this role, the Liaison receives, prioritizes, and triages information to the appropriate team members, as necessary, and documents issues and correspondence into the customer feedback database. Maintains open communication with ED Charge nurse, ED triage nurse, ED registrar, and all healthcare team members present in the ED environment. Provides customer service to patients, visitors and family members. Collaboration with healthcare team members ensures optimal patient and visitor experiences within the ED environment. Role models Aultman Hospital’s mission, vision, and values at all times.

RESPONSIBILITIES & EXPECTATIONS

Qualified individuals must have the ability to perform the following duties:

• Patient and family rounding – primarily stationed in ED entrance/Triage/Waiting --must move throughout department to meet needs of patients and families/visitors
  • Waiting areas, triage, patient rooms, lobbies, and cafeteria
  • Rounding for specifics as indicated (cleanliness, white boards, other duties as assigned)
• Greets and introduces self to persons arriving to the ED following scripted response. Rounds frequently (every 1 hour or as needed) in the ED waiting area/triage area. Provides comfort measures and communication/status updates for patients and family members in the waiting room and in treatment areas located throughout the ED. Notices patient’s unmet needs and works collaboratively with all healthcare team members within the ED environment to ensure timely resolution. Escalates concerns as needed.

• Proactively keeps ED clinical team members abreast of concerns, issues/unmet needs or requests in both waiting room and treatment room areas.

• Proactive communication with patients and family members to ensures patients and family members receive frequent updates and communication about ED wait times.

• Acts as liaison between patient and healthcare team members by effectively communicating all needs and concerns.

• Provides updates regarding possible delays and estimated wait times.

• Maintains cleanliness of environment by rounding in ED areas frequently (ED waiting/triage/main ED/restrooms) and contacts housekeeping when spills or bodily fluids are noted on floors, equipment, etc.

• Participate with customer service activities
• To be quickly deployed to an area that needs additional patient experience support

• Assists patients and visitors with making phone calls and usage of Interpretation devices.

• Assists in directing and mobilizing patients and visitors to desired locations within the ED environment.

• Maintains integrity and confidentiality of information.
• Alert other hospital departments of potential concerns or issues to prevent further customer service concerns.

• Actively observes and reports unusual conditions or situations in the ED environment to security officer and ED charge nurse.

• Directs patients and visitors to various locations within the department and throughout the organization i.e., bathrooms, pharmacy, parking garages, cafeteria locations, outpatient diagnostic testing locations.
• Other duties and tasks as assigned.
• Ability to work well within a team environment by offering and accepting honest and constructive feedback, supporting team goals, encouraging, and mentoring fellow team members.
• Ability to be highly motivated, work independently, make decisions, and work in a fast-paced stressful environment.

Job Requirements

• At a minimum, High School Diploma and or GED required.
• Evidence of strong customer focus, ability to deliver excellent high quality customer service
• Ability to work in high pressure environment with customer service mindset
• Evidence of excellent communication skills
• Basic computer skills
• Strong service recovery skills
• Possess compassion and empathy
• Customer service and de-escalation training – will be provided on the job
• Recognize concerns or issues that need higher level attention (escalation)

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Rotating shifts to cover 24/7
• Subject to frequent interruptions and changes in priority of duties throughout the day.
• Sitting/standing/moving about during working hours

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS ADDENDUM

PURPOSE: Qualified individuals must have the ability (with or without reasonable accommodation) to perform the following duties:

Check all factors that are present as essential job requirements and check whether the factor is performed.

O = Occasionally = 0- 33% of the work shift or 0- 32 repetitions.

F = Frequently = 34-66% of the work shift or 32-200+ repetitions.

C = Constantly = 67-100% of the work shift or 200+ repetitions.

N = Not essential job requirement.

C Standing

C Walking

O Lifting (70 pounds)

O Carrying (70 pounds)

O Pushing (70 pounds)

N Climbing with (70 pounds)

F Stooping/Bending

F Twisting/Turning

F Kneeling/Squatting

O Crawling

F Reaching Up/Reaching Forward

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