Patient Advocate - Patient Visitor Relations

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

About Duke University Hospital

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, which is consistently ranked among the best in the United States and is the number one hospital in North Carolina, according to U.S. News and World Report for 2023-2024. Duke University Hospital is the largest of Duke Health's three hospitals and features 1048 patient beds, 65 operating rooms, as well as comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more.

Monday – Friday with some weekends (on-call for potential coverage once every 2 months) and holidays (usually work one holiday a year)

General Description of the Job Class

Investigate, resolve, document and report organization-specific patient and visitor compliments and concerns to leadership and staff. Develop, implement and participate in customer service and patient relations initiatives related to the Duke University Hospital. Provide monthly accountability and variance analysis of Balanced Scorecard Customer Service Outcomes to assigned Clinical Service Unit(s).

Duties and Responsibilities of this Level

• Facilitate resolution of complaints/grievances/requests for Patients & Visitors.

• Respond to suggestions and compliments submitted by patients and provide positive reinforcement to involved staff.

• Document patient/visitor concerns to include patient demographic data, synopsis of incident, actions taken to resolve, and outcome; input into Feedback Monitor database. Compose letters or e-mails to patients with leadership feedback, ensuring grammatical accuracy and according to the terms of the Duke grievance policy.

• Coordinate interventions/services with Risk Management, Compliance and PRMO.

• Collaborate with unit leadership to meet customer service and clinical quality outcomes for the customer service segment of the balanced scorecard on assigned CSU.

• Identify systems related problems, via patient/visitor data, and work collaboratively with physicians, administrators and staff to resolve. Conduct quarterly accountability and variance analysis of customer service outcomes.

• Analyze complaint/grievance data and collaborate with CSU Leadership and staff on a quarterly basis.

• Assist in the preparation of annual and quarterly executive reports for senior leadership; present data to leadership teams.

• Develop a consultant relationship with champion areas to build and sustain a patient/customer-focused culture.

• Lead Customer Service Training for staff on assigned CSU when necessary.

• Participate on committees, work groups, and/or process improvement teams that improve patient/customer satisfaction. Notarize Advance Directives for DUH patients by request.

• Influence change across the Champion area

• Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Possess strong customer service skills/ability to handle difficult and angry people constructively; savvy enough to interact with physicians/senior background  

• Excellent analytical skills, including analysis, planning, organizing, and troubleshooting

• Proficient in Windows-based operating software/systems Good oral and written communication skills; presentations skills

• Ability to work with minimal supervision

• Adaptability with high tolerance for ambiguous work situations

• Knowledge of health care, HMO/health insurance and/or Duke Medical Center experience

• Must work in conjunction with staff in a supportive way to troubleshoot and resolve issues Must be visible to staff, offering support and modeling service behaviors and concern resolution processes

• Must be able to address difficult, awkward situations with tact and diplomacy

• Must be a team player and have proven success applying a team approach to obtain resolution to an issue or successfully accomplish a goal.

• Must be informed regulatory healthcare representatives for the patient and organization; must be able to communicate patient and visitor rights and responsibilities to patients, family members, and staff

Minimum Qualification 

Education

Work requires a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science or a related field.

Experience

Three years of customer service experience, preferably in a healthcare setting. Bilingual is strongly preferred. 

Degrees, Licensure, and/or Certification

Notary Public Preferred

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.