Scope of Position

The Lead Patient Experience Coordinator at The Ohio State University CCC-James Cancer Hospital is a member of the leadership team and contributes to the development and execution of the organizations mission, vision and values and strategic plan. This position is responsible for all the duties that come with being a Patient Advocate along with coordinating and organizing the efforts of the advocate team. This position will lead and support a positive patient experience throughout a patient’s stay at the James and is responsible for engaging other departments to further advance patient experience initiatives. The Lead Program Coordinator will focus on developing the advocate team ensuring the team is providing personalized interactions that each patient expects. In addition, this position is responsible for ensuring Joint Commission standards are in compliance, supporting patient rights and responsibilities, organizational ethics and CMS regulation guidelines related to the complaint process. The Lead Patient Experience Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all patient experience staff, physicians and volunteers who are interacting with our patients and families are in compliance with these guidelines while promoting a strong emphasis on empathy and compassionate care specific to the cancer population. The Lead Patient Experience Coordinator works collaboratively with directors, managers, administrators and the medical staff to assure delivery of differentiated, affordable, high quality and personalized health care in an accessible, patient-friendly research focused environment.

Position Summary

The Lead Patient Experience Coordinator is responsible for providing personalized guidance and support that promotes a positive patient/family experience throughout their care continuum at The CCC - James. This position performs all duties of a Patient Advocate, in addition to coordinating daily work flow, daily assignments, and provides support to the operation of the department. The Lead Patient Experience Coordinator assists with the assessment of all Patient Advocates performance for annual appraisals, and the orientation of new staff. Lead Patient Experience Coordinator may cover additional manager responsibilities, as necessary, in the manager’s absence, or should a vacancy occur. Other activities include ensuring all clinical and service related needs are met by proactive rounding, anticipating and identifying needs, soliciting input and addressing any issues or concerns. This individual will enhance guidance, communication and collaboration while patients are in the facility and act as key liaison between physicians of record, referring physicians and the admitting physician and will coordinate support and connectivity at post-discharge. Lead Patient Experience Coordinator will build relationships with patients, families and staff creating a seamless environment that will model and create an optimum patient experience which will be a positive reflection on overall patient satisfaction.

Duties and Responsibilities

60% Staff Supervision and Development

• Responsible for the coordination of scheduling and support mechanisms. Partners with the manager in providing quality, cost effective, efficient services to all patients
• Coordinates rotating weekend coverage schedule.
• Maintains staff scheduling for services offered per department procedures.
• Manages the “team coverage list” for unanticipated absences, vacations and planned doctor’s appointments
• Organizes department coverage gaps when call-offs occur
• Will work directly with Manager to prepare onboarding plans and ensure that the staff is adequately trained and that on-going training is continued
• Screens and interviews candidates and recommends best applicant for hiring consideration
• Provides advice and guidance to Patient Advocates on complicated concerns
• Provides technical guidance and leadership pertaining to procedures and problems. Acts as a resource for direction, training, and guidance for less experienced staff. Monitors and reviews progress and accuracy of work
• Assists with the coaching and counseling of Patients and assists in providing corrective action as needed
• Maintains current knowledge of events, deadlines, activities and organizational expectations and proactively communicates those to all patient advocates to help assure the latest and most accurate information is communicated to guests. Assure communication and coordination between all coordinators is optimal.
• Works closely with Nursing Supervisors to ensure open communication between teams when they are needed to provide support to patient reps, patients or families for escalated issues
• Assists in the development of departmental policy
• Coordinates departmental quality assessment activities; ensures compliance with accreditation agencies
• Oversees and resolves patient grievances in an appropriate and timely manner
• Updates and maintains departmental job descriptions and employee appraisal instruments
• Manages grievance letters that are received and ensures they are scanned and assigned to a Patient Advocate. Ensure the initial grievance response letter is sent within 7 days and a final grievance response letter is sent at the close of the issue
• Attend all meetings that relate to Patient Experience or as assigned by management team.
• Demonstrates strong leadership skills – has positive attitude and team orientation
• Works with Manager to predict future staffing requirements
• Monitors Complaint Management Database to ensure concerns that are entered by non- Patient Experience staff are assigned to a Patient Advocate for follow up
• Monitors Complaint Management Database to ensure concerns that are entered by Patient Advocates are entered under the appropriate categories and are free of spelling and grammatical errors
• Assists with the Personal Performance Plan (P3) of Patient Advocates by completing timely evaluations and assisting with the development and evaluation of annual objectives and goals

20% Operations/Process Improvement

• Provides direction and support to the Patient Advocate team

• Intervene in difficult and sometimes highly emotional situations to help alleviate the concerns and resolve concerns expressed by patients, families, visitors, staff, and physicians. In partnership with patient care and medical staff, employ interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and conflict management approaches to provide support for patients, families, visitors and staff that may be involved in an issue and promote a positive image of the James Cancer Hospital and Critical Care Tower
• Provides oversight to staff and assists in the completion of performance appraisals annually
• Mediates problems relating to staffing, scheduling, discipline, safety, and morale issues in conjunction with Human Resources
• Involved with improving the patient/family experience through proactive rounding of new admissions, inpatient departments, and ambulatory departments
• Provides concierge type services to patients with the goal of educating, eliminating barriers to care, and ensuring timely delivery of service
• Ensures that communication between the care provider and the patient and his/her family is clear and understandable
• Provides updates on patient to referring physician regarding progress
• Tracks oncology patients and referring physician information
• Cultivates patient awareness and a patient-service mentality among employees to enhance patient satisfaction
• Develop relationships with patients, families and staff
• Clarifies expectations and acts as an information resource for patients and their families
• Meets with patients/families transferred to James Critical Care Units and provides necessary assistance or support
• Meets with families during end of life transitions and provides necessary support
• Acts as an internal consultant for optimal patient satisfaction
• Receives and investigates specific types of customer complaints and concerns; facilitates service recovery and resolution of those issues
• Assesses complaint data over time through use of a database, and presents information to appropriate individuals or committees in a report format
• Acts as a liaison to risk management; communicates patient issues as necessary
• Plans and coordinates focus groups and other types of special customer inquiries
• Participates in the development, implementation, and revision of patient rights, policies and procedures
• Recommends and develops programs to enhance the patient experience
• Develops general patient and family information literature; works with Marketing and Communication department; identifies need for literature and assists with developing content information
• Plans and participates in the scheduling of events

15% Administrative

• Acts as a role model and resource person for administrators, staff and the community
• Insures and maintains patient/family confidentiality, privacy and patient’s rights at all times
• Informs Manager and Director of actual/potential problems that require resolution at the Administrative level
• Participates in quality improvement activities including overseeing and ensuring the completion of audits
• Recommends changes for improvement in the department
• Assists in establishing standards of care for services and may develop plans of care as requested
• Serves on Cancer Program and Medical Center committees as requested
• Works with Property Loss Clerk on property loss strategies and returning of lost items to patients
• Attends appropriate meetings and process improvement groups as designated by leadership
• Prepares physician concern information for meetings with the Physician and Chief and the Director of Patient Experience, Chief Nursing Officer and Manager of Patient Experience
• Prepares and facilitate AIDET trainings when asked by departments or units
• Helps to facilitate weekly Patient Advocate team meetings
• Organizes and communicates a daily rounding sheet

5% Other duties as assigned

The schedule for this position will be Monday through Friday from 8:00am - 4:30pm.