Patient Relations Specialist, Full Time, First Shift

Job Description

The primary responsibility of the Patient Relations Specialist is to manage patient and family complaints from intake through resolution, collaborating closely with department leaders to address concerns, improve communication, and ensure compliance with Ohio Department of Health and Joint Commission for Accreditation regulatory standards for documentation, follow up and reporting.

Patient Relations Specialist lead the coordination, documentation investigation, and resolution of complaints; while collaborating across the organization to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and advance service excellence initiatives. The role proactively identifies issues related to care delivery, patient rights, and access to services, supporting a culture of service excellence and continuous improvement.

The overall goal is to be the most trusted, compassionate, and patient-centered health system in the region – not only by outcomes, but by how people feel in our care at UC Health.

Service Improvement Consultants:
• Advocate for patient rights, dignity, and equitable treatment as a primary patient representative.
• Foster a welcoming, inclusive environment by integrating patient and staff feedback with empathetic communication and collaborative problem solving.
• Provide strategic consultation to leadership and clinical teams to enhance the patient and family experience across the organization.
• Deliver timely, data driven insights to leadership on patient experience trends, grievance patterns, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Apply evidence based methodologies to strengthen service delivery and offer real-time coaching as needed.
• Educate staff on grievance indicators and advanced service recovery protocols in real time to elevate organizational responsiveness.
• Support interdepartmental collaboration by participating in unit leadership meetings to align operational goals with patient experience priorities.
• Assist families with complex logistical needs by offering expert guidance on hospital policies, accommodations, and support services.
• Practice empathetic, active listening to accurately capture and communicate patient concerns to clinical and administrative stakeholders.
• Coordinate complex family meetings to promote alignment between patients, families, and multidisciplinary care teams.
• Perform specialized administrative duties, including maintaining a state required notary license and providing notary services to patients, families, and staff as required by site.
• Recommend process improvements to streamline workflows and reduce friction in the patient journey.
• Lead high level service recovery interventions to address dissatisfaction following substandard service encounters.

Complaint and Grievance Investigation & Conflict Resolution:
• Exercise high emotional intelligence, to de-escalate high-emotion situations and validate the psychological needs of patients and staff while problem solving to address concerns.
• Partner with department leadership to evaluate, address and resolve patient and family concerns through early intervention and clinical mediation.
• Perform risk assessment for high-stake scenarios (e.g. malpractice, personal injury, wrongful death, abuse or missing personal property) and facilitate immediate escalation to Risk Management or Patient Safety.
• Route patient feedback—both accolades, complaints and grievances—ensuring rapid delivery to the appropriate department leaders. Escalate up the chain of command as necessary if timely response is not provided.
• Maintain situational awareness to navigate and stabilize dynamic, high-stress clinical environments.
• Apply critical thinking and problem-solving to navigate complex complaint resolutions and ensure strict adherence to escalation hierarchies to meet our turnaround goals.
• Orchestrate referrals to specialized internal and external resources to ensure holistic patient support.
• Conduct rigorous follow-up with patients during complaint or grievance process, including during their stay as well as post-discharge to verify resolution to ensure patient support.
• Maintain meticulous records…