PATIENT ADVOCATE

Patient Advocate

North Star Behavioral Health is one of Alaska's premier mental health facilities offering hope and healing for children, teens and adults who struggle with psychiatric or substance abuse issues. We also offer military-specific care to first responders, service members, veterans and dependents at the Chris Kyle Patriots Hospital. We provide an environment that puts patient care first through excellent care, comfort, and security to the patients and families we treat, at their most vulnerable times. When you work at North Star Behavioral Health, you are never alone, as you are part of a large network of peers and leaders that routinely exchange ideas and review current topics within the industry. With us, you have the opportunity to grow, learn, and advance in your career through robust continuing education opportunities and career advancement with UHS!

Shift: 8-hour shift, Mon-Fri

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Our Patient Advocate has the lead role in the monitoring of patient rights within North Star Behavioral Health System. The position will also provide training and mentorship to North Star employees in relation to patient advocacy.

JOB RESPONSIBLITIES:

• Oversees and reviews complaint/grievance forms collected by support staff from the units.
• Assign forms to direct managers, administration, or hospital staff for resolution
• Facilitates groups and provides patients with education on patient rights, and how they can be supported by the patient advocate.
• Maintain quality records of complaints/grievance in MIDAS and in a secure/locked setting for patient privacy.
• Address complaints/issues/comments/suggestions from discharged patients, family members, other supporters, community members and agencies.
• Ensure that complaint/grievances processes are completed within timelines established in polices.
• Review and analyze patient feedback reports on feelings of safety while in the hospital
• Report allegations of abuse and neglect directly to senior management, department manager and risk director for immediate investigation and intervention.
• Responsible for interviewing patients and developing report for allegations of abuse, neglect, self-neglect or exploitation of vulnerable patients.
• Maintain communication with outside agencies such as Disability Law Center, the Ombudsman's Office, Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services to assist clients in addressing safety concerns or in the evet the client is unable to do so, make a report on their behalf.
• Analyze complaint/grievance records for potential trends that threaten quality of care.
• Analyze data generate weekly report for treatment teams.
• Analyze data to generate monthly/quarterly reports to hospital administration, sr. leadership, quality committee, and medical staff as requested.
• Collect data on internal and contract groups to evaluate and determine quality needs
• Lead committees pertaining to grievance addressment and satisfaction survey results
• Meet or speak with families regarding to feedback related to interactions with staff.
• Manage volunteer and contract staff that provide services to patients such as pastoral care, recovery groups, and educators. Collaborate with nursing staff in supporting the peer support program at the hospital.
• Trains support staff to meet with patients who submit forms to determine issue and method of resolution.
• Train and provide mentorship to staff to administer patient satisfaction surveys to patients at discharge.
• Maintains pastoral care contact list and solicit additional denominational representatives to ensure comprehensive access to pastoral services.
• Develops and collaborates with North Star Sr. Leadership on decision-making regarding policies, procedures, and standards of patient care.
• Chair the patient rights and ethics committee that will include coordinating meetings, agenda, minutes, and tracking action items.
• Use patient grievance and satisfaction survey data to identify issues for continuous quality improvement.
• Identify needed changes in policy and procedure to improve quality of services, present recommendations to policy committee.
• Review patient handouts ensure patient friendliness and maximum understandability while promoting the recovery message.
• Organize an improvement plan based on feedback of community providers.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefit Highlights:

• Challenging and rewarding work environment
• Competitive Compensation & Generous Paid Time Off
• Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Plans
• 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan
• SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program
• Career development opportunities within UHS and its 300 Subsidiaries!

Job Requirements for Patient Advicate:

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Services or related field, or a combination of training and experience.
  
  

About Universal Health Services

One of the nation's largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Growing steadily since its inception into an esteemed Fortune 500 corporation, annual revenues were $13.4 billion in 2022. During the year, UHS was again recognized as one of the World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune; and listed in Forbes ranking of America's Largest Public Companies. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has approximately 94,000 employees and continues to grow through its subsidiaries. Operating acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services located all over the U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. www.uhs.com

EEO Statement

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.

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