Patient Advocate - Patient Experience

Position Details

Lakeland Regional Health is a leading medical center located in Central Florida. With a legacy spanning over a century, we have been dedicated to serving our community with excellence in healthcare. As the only Level 2 Trauma center for Polk, Highlands, and Hardee counties, and the second busiest Emergency Department in the US, we are committed to providing high-quality care to our diverse patient population. Our facility is licensed for 910 beds and handles over 200,000 emergency room visits annually, along with 49,000 inpatient admissions, 21,000 surgical cases, 4,000 births, and 101,000 outpatient visits.

Lakeland Regional Health is currently seeking motivated individuals to join our team in various entry-level positions. Whether you're starting your career in healthcare or seeking new opportunities to make a difference, we have roles available across our primary and specialty clinics, urgent care centers, and upcoming standalone Emergency Department. With over 7,000 employees, Lakeland Regional Health offers a supportive work environment where you can thrive and grow professionally.

Active - Benefit Eligible and Accrues Time Off

Work Hours per Biweekly Pay Period: 80.00

Shift: Weekdays with Occasional Weekends 3:00pm to 11:00pm

Location: 1324 Lakeland Hills Blvd Lakeland, FL

Pay Rate: Min $17.48 Mid $20.10

Position Summary

The Patient Advocate serves as a liaison between patients/families and the Medical Center staff and providers. Reporting to the Director of Patient Advocate, this person communicates with patients either in person or via phone/computer to ensure that their stay at LRH is excellent.

The Patient Advocate rounds on adult hospital inpatients at the bedside daily. He/she will also answer calls via the Patient Advocacy phone line and electronic mailbox and providing follow-up for pCare system requests. This person is also responsible for speaking with patients to understand the reason for their call, communicating patient needs to appropriate personnel, monitoring for response, and escalating delays appropriately to ensure patient needs are being met in a timely manner. Must effectively interact with patients, families, and other team members. Must report pertinent information to supervisors as needed and perform other duties as assigned.

Position Responsibilities

People At The Heart Of All That We Do

• Fosters an inclusive and engaged environment through teamwork and collaboration.
• Ensures patients and families have the best possible experiences across the continuum of care.
• Communicates appropriately with patients, families, team members, and our community in a manner that treasures all people as uniquely created.
  
  

Safety And Performance Improvement

• Behaves in a mindful manner focused on self, patient, visitor, and team safety.
• Demonstrates accountability and commitment to quality work.
• Participates actively in process improvement and adoption of standard work.
  
  

Stewardship

• Demonstrates responsible use of LRH's resources including people, finances, equipment and facilities.
• Knows and adheres to organizational and department policies and procedures.
  
  

Standard Work: Patient Advocate

• Bedside rounding on multiple patients daily during the 12-hour shift.
• Ask patients questions about their care during their stay, inquiries about any concerns or issues the patient may have, and seek ways to improve their hospital experience. Uses effective conflict resolution and service recovery skills.
• Educate patients on how to utilize the pCare Patient Engagement software on their in-room TV/Nurse Call remotes.
• Immediately notifies department leadership of patient concerns that require clinical intervention from a Registered Nurse or Physician.
• Maintains patient safety, comfort, confidentiality and privacy, and adheres to HIPAA standards.
• Collaborates and communicates effectively with all team members.
• Document patient concerns from inbound calls in the MyTruthPoint patient experience software. Follow up with nursing unit leadership to ensure that these concerns are resolved within 24 hours.
• Partner with the Registered Nurses on the floor to resolve patient concerns that can be handled in-the-moment.
• Communicate directly with Food Service and EVS leadership to address patient concerns related to food and/or room cleanliness.
• Organizes work to be able to complete assignments within established time frames. New paragraph- Encourages patients to complete the HCAHPS survey upon discharge.
• People At The Heart Of All We Do
• Fosters an inclusive and engaged environment through teamwork and collaboration.
• Ensures patients and families have the best possible experiences across the continuum of care.
• Communicates appropriately with patients, families, team members, and our community in a manner that treasures all people as uniquely created.
• Safety And Performance Improvement
• Behaves in a mindful manner focused on self, patient, visitor, and team safety.
• Demonstrates accountability and commitment to quality work.
• Participates actively in process improvement and adoption of standard work.
• Stewardship
• Demonstrates responsible use of LRH's resources including people, finances, equipment and facilities.
• Knows and adheres to organizational and department policies and procedures.
  

Competencies & Skills

Essential:

• Ability to multi-task and thrive in fast-paced environment.
• Ability to listen empathetically and also troubleshoot patient concerns and offer solutions.
• Strong communication skills, including clear direction and proper grammar.
• Excellent customer service skills.
  
  

Nonessential:

• Ability to round on patients throughout the medical center and walk distances required to do so.
  
  

Essential:

Qualifications & Experience

• High School or Equivalent
• Associate Degree
  
  

Essential:

• LPN, PCA, or Paramedic
  
  

Other Information:

Experience Essential:

• 2 years of adult Patient Advocate experience
  
  

Experience Preferred:

• 1 year of Patient Advocate experience
• pCare Interactive Patient Engagement Solution troubleshooting skills
  
  

Licenses Preferred:

• LPN, Paramedic, or CNA