Patient Safety Quality Specialist RN

Summary

The Patient Safety Quality Specialist RN supports the organization's commitment to continuous quality improvement as an approach to assess and improve the quality of healthcare services. They serve as a change agent to lead, facilitate, and partner with the workforce to create and sustain a culture of safety.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• (20%) Works with departments to mitigate the immediate risks to patients as a result of human or systems errors through various cause analysis approaches. Also provides proactive support through the tracking, trending and identification of systems opportunities that lead to patient harm, in addition to leading efforts for systems improvement to prevent such harms.
• (20%) Proactively collects and reports data and opportunities for patient safety, quality, and regulatory initiatives as needed. Oversees the event reporting process and ensures timely investigative follow up of all responsible managers, analyzes trends/patterns in the event reporting data and reports findings to leaders as well as various teams and committees as deemed necessary by the organization. Works with departments to assist with changes in processes, policies, and workflows based on cause analysis findings.
  
  Monitors progress of changes at regular intervals to ensure effectiveness and sustainment of interventions.
• (20%) Serves as a resource in conjunction with management regarding applicable Joint Commission standards as they relate to patient safety and requirements and other compliance regulations. Facilitates the development of strategies to remain compliant with all regulatory requirements and assists with developing and revising policies and procedures as needed.
• (20%) Rounds routinely in clinical care departments to assess and address quality, risk reduction and patient safety activities/concerns. Follows up with department managers and leadership regarding patient quality and safety concerns as noted during rounding.
• (10%) Participates/leads entity, regional and system quality and patient safety committees, teams, work groups and huddles. Serves as a quality and patient safety consultant to various other committees, teams and work groups to ensure integration of quality and patient safety work across the continuum of care.
• (10%) Facilitates and supports implementation of patient safety and quality program and just culture initiatives and assists with coordination of education for staff and clinicians as needed.

OTHER

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Facilitates teams to address opportunities for improvement as identified in the quality and patient safety data warehouses. Coordinates the development of evidence based, standardized care practices and performance improvement activities to achieve a high quality and highly reliable care delivery system.
• Plans, prepares, and coordinates presentations and educational opportunities for new employees and providers regarding quality, risk and patient safety strategies.
• Facilitates compliance with The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state quality assurance and performance improvements requirements by coordinating, organizing and communicating appropriate information to designated committees and leadership. Leads initiatives for high priority opportunities as identified by leadership.
• Serves as a liaison for claims and legal counsel that may require case review and file development.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• BLS:
  Basic Life Support – within 1 month of hire or transfer
• RN:
  Registered Nurse

• Bachelor's degree required
• Master's degree in Nursing preferred. Additional Quality/Patient Safety certifications preferred.

EXPERIENCE TRAINING AND

SKILLS:

• Three to five (3‑5) years of clinical experience.
• Familiarity with variance reporting tools and processes and a working knowledge of key safety/regulatory organizations and accreditation standards in healthcare (TJC, IHI, etc.).
• Ability to monitor quality, take initiative to proactively reduce risk.
• Problem‑solving techniques / expertise, interpersonal and customer service skills, oral…