Patient and Family Relations Specialist

Overview

The Office of Patient / Family Relations liaises between patients, families, and the Institute to acknowledge and respond to patient/family concerns and requests in a compassionate, supportive manner. Reporting to the Director of Patient/Family Relations, the Patient / Family Relations (P/FR) Specialist serves as an integral member of the Quality and Patient Safety Department (QPS), participating in various aspects of patient advocacy, to ensure personalization and humanization of the hospital experience.

The P/FR Specialist will support the Patient / Family Relations program at the Institute, including the outpatient and inpatient locations, by serving as a liaison between patients (adult and pediatric), families, and staff by ensuring an effective complaint and grievance process. The role will engage in intake and triage of patient complaints and requests. The P/FR Specialist will ensure a coordinated and timely response, in accordance with state and federal regulatory guidelines and Institute policies, to patients/families who have expressed a concern, complaint, grievance, compliment, question and/or a request regarding care, treatment or services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).

In addition, the P/FR Specialist will be available to assist and guide staff with challenging patients/families and to provide guidance in utilizing other Institute resources (e.g., the Division of Social Work, Psychosocial Oncology, or Patient & Family Programs & Services).

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

Complaint/Grievance Management

• Leads the coordination of assigned cases from intake to resolution, including ensuring accurate documentation, and coordinating/facilitating team meetings as appropriate.
• Works closely with the P/FR Director, and other P/FR senior staff, along with clinical and operational leaders to write, review, edit, and format response letters to patients and/or families.
• Ensures that communication and documentation meet all regulatory requirements for content and timeliness.
• Collaborates with P/FR staff, Risk Management staff, Patient Safety leadership, and QPS Medical Directors on case reviews.
• Interfaces closely with affiliates, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, to insure coordinated investigation and feedback.
• Partners with respective leadership of various areas (e.g., disease centers, departments, clinical floors, etc.) to address the patient / family feedback and the associates challenges.
• Participates in process improvement efforts to provide a PFR lens/perspective.

Patient / Family / Staff communications

• Shares responsibility for the coverage of Patient/Family Relations Office phone, pager, and email during operational hours.
• Responds to patient, family, staff queries / feedback.
• Triages patient, family, and staff queries appropriately and efficiently.
• Responds to urgent patient/family needs as requested.
• Completes documentation related to patient/family/staff encounters to gather pertinent information.
• Enters case summary and related information into the PFR database timely.
• Troubleshoots a wide variety of issues that arise related to navigating difficult and complex patient/family cases.
• Participates, leads, and coordinates with clinical operations leadership, social work, risk management, and the attorneys in the Office of General Counsel as required regarding difficult patients and challenging cases.
• Provides feedback and input on patient care agreements in collaboration with the patient care team and senior leadership.
• Collaborates with senior leadership, risk management, Office of General Counsel, and others as necessary regarding terminations of patient care.

Patient/Family Relations Program

• Assists in maintaining the Service Recovery Program inventory and log.
• Tracks Service Recoveries in the PFR database.
• Supports Patient Experience initiatives.
• Participates in Institute-wide committees.
• Participates in the orientation of new staff.
• Interacts with Institute staff and departments, such as but not limited to Social Work, Nursing, Psychosocial Oncology & Palliative Care, Volunteer Services, Medical, Surgical and Pediatric Oncology.
• Responds to requests for information related to or witnessing Advance Directives (e.g., health care proxy).
• Responds to patient requests for missing or misplaced belongings.
• Responds to patient requests for internal transfers of care (i.e., physician, advanced practice provider, etc).
• Responds to staff/leadership requests for guidance related to challenging patient cases (i.e., escalated negative patient/family behavior).
• Assists in coordinating PFR activities, education, and training programs.
• Attends the Adult and Pediatric Patient/Family Advisory Council monthly meetings.

ADA Program

• Ensures DFCI’s timely response to patient disability accommodation requests and complaints, seeking guidance from and collaborating with the ADA Coordinator as needed.
• Maintains Department and Institute service standards.
• All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in healthcare administration, education, psychology, or a related field.
• 5 years of related healthcare experience demonstrating excellent customer service, writing, and problem-solving skills required.
• 2 years of experience as a Clinical Scheduling Lead, Supervisor, Manager, or similar role strongly preferred.
• 3 years of experience managing patient family complaints/grievances preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Ability to appropriately manage challenging situations in real-time.
• Proficiency in rL Solutions Feedback Reporting System and the ability to use all Institute-related systems.
• Knowledge of Institute policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Conditions of Participation regulations regarding patient rights.
• Excellent listening, interpersonal, and customer service skills with a high degree of emotional intelligence.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with attention to detail and the ability to communicate with all levels of staff; Proficiency in formal letter writing – grammar, punctuation, spelling, content, and format.
• Exceptional organization and prioritization skills.
• Ability to provide immediate assistance to a wide range of customers with varying needs.
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility and provide customer-service-oriented, and thoughtful guidance to staff and clinicians.
• Confidence in public speaking.
• Aptitude and interest in patient advocacy, health care quality, non-discrimination, inclusion, and patient safety.
• Sensitivity to multi-cultural, cultural, racial, economic, and gender diversity.
• High degree of professionalism, discretion, and diplomacy.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.