Patient Advocate

Summary

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. Provide accountability and variance analysis to assigned clinical units.

Examples of Work

Job functions are specific duties that would be included in the essential functions of the job description. These functions are not all-inclusive nor do they cover the full extent of the duties performed.

• Facilitate resolution of complaints/grievances/requests for patients and visitors for assigned clinical units.
• 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. Compose letters or e-mails to patients, visitors, or physicians, leadership, ensuring grammatical accuracy and compliance with applicable UF policy.
• Coordinate interventions/services with patient relations and risk management units.
• Collaborate with unit leadership to meet customer service and clinical quality outcomes.
• Identify systems related problems, via patient/visitor data, and work collaboratively with physicians, administrators and staff to resolve.
• Analyze complaint/grievance data and collaborate with physicians, administrators and staff to resolve.
• Assist in the preparation reports for senior leadership; present data to leadership teams.
• Develop a consultant relationship with assigned clinics/units to build and sustain a patient/customer-focused culture.
• Lead customer service training for staff on assigned units.
• Participate on committees, work groups, and/or process improvement teams that improve patient/customer satisfaction. Notarize Advance Directives for patients by request; serve as a resource to answer questions regarding Advance Directives.

Education and Experience

A bachelor’s degree in behavioral science or related field; or a high school diploma and four years of appropriate experience. Appropriate college coursework may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience.

Licensure and Certification

None

Supervision

None

To see common career pathways for each position at the University of Florida please visit the Career Paths section of the UFHR website.