The Patient Safety Specialist is responsible for assisting in the management and coordination of the patient safety program. The Patient Safety Specialist will work with the Patient Safety team in analyzing the human, organizational, and system factors contributing to adverse events and work with them to identify and implement risk reduction strategies that promote patient safety. The Patient Safety Specialist leads institutional patient safety improvement activities, participates in the review process of adverse events with clinical teams and works with clinicians and hospital leaders to develop processes and systems to improve patient safety. This individual is a facilitative leader and engages others to do the right thing to keep patients safe, both in response to analysis of events and prospectively in applying principles of high reliability organizations and in promoting safety behaviors and improved design of work. Also actively teaches and develops educational programs about patient safety, mentors others in work related to patient safety and achieves expected outcomes efficiently and with judicial use of resources. This individual supports a culture of learning and transparency through efforts to ensure that events are reported, escalated, and learnings are disseminated.

Position Responsibilities

• Act as organizational champion and content expert for Patient Safety concepts operating from a deep understanding of the total situation. Act as a change agent through:
  • Promoting a culture of safety, by example, through words and actions; being the change that we want to see and expect
  • Coaching and consultation with staff and leaders to assist in application of key patient safety principles and tenets of high reliability
  • Providing just in time training and formal educational opportunities
  • Role models and uses the language of safety and high reliability
  • Encourages and promotes systems thinking
• Provides leadership in review of adverse events investigations. Identifies and accurately interprets significant trends and patterns in patient safety and adverse events
• Facilitates timely follow up and/or case review utilizing established report and review processes, prepares institutional reports coordinates all follow up and communications with external regulatory agencies. This individual provides expert facilitation of the process for conducting a thorough and credible investigation of patient safety events including RCA, ACA and CCA
• Regularly reviews trends and findings from the electronic patient safety reporting system to identify trends or vulnerabilities. Proficiently analyzes data in collaboration with data analytic team members and integrates findings with knowledge of other patient safety events for focused departmental and organizational improvement initiatives. Identifies system failures related to adverse events. Works with clinical team and hospital leaders to plan improvements to patient care and patient safety. Leads clinical teams in developing and implementing practice and system changes designed to prevent errors, improve clinical care and enhance patient safety
• During initial review identifies events requiring Risk Management involvement, close coordination with Risk Management, including initial event review as needed. Provides followup consultation on patient safety and risk situations to clinicians and/or practice groups throughout the institution. Collaborates with Patient Relations and other staff to investigate patient and family concerns deemed to be potential quality or patient safety concerns
• Collaborates to influence change through quality improvement activities and reports. Provides regular updates to hospital leadership and legal counsel on patient safety issues
• Assist in supporting and collaborating with the Continuous Regulatory Readiness team to assure that expectations for continuous standards compliance are met. Maintain knowledge of the Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals, state and federal reporting requirements and other regulatory and non-regulatory standards
• Represents patient safety through participation on hospital standing committees
• Collaborates in academic projects related to quality management and improvement, and patient safety
• The Patient Safety Specialist assists in developing and actualizing departmental safety strategic and tactical plan, annual report and other departmental functions as assigned
• Upload/pass through PSWP to the CHA PSO

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required
• RN or previous patient safety experience preferred. Human factors, error management, and cultural/organizational change experience preferred. CPPS or equivalent preferred
• 3 years' experience in an acute health care setting required. Pediatric experience preferred