The Patient Representative serves in Consumer Relations Service, VA Maryland Healthcare System, VA Capitol Health Care Network - VISN 5, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Baltimore, MD.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-11. At the GS-9 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds. The duties include, but are not limited to: Patient Entitlements: Assists patients In understanding their rights in addition to their responsibilities, Represents the Director in safeguarding and ensuring ethical, statutory, and constitutional rights of patients. Assists patients, their families and representatives, and facility staff members in recognizing and removing Institutional barriers to the provision of optimum healthcare to veterans. Complaint Resolution: Resolves issues that occur at the point of service, while also addressing more complex complaints that were not able to be resolved at the point of service. Explores all avenues, crossing all lines of authority and responsibility within the medical facility, to properly identify the nature and scope of the problem and to initiate appropriate action to expedite a resolution. Reviews appropriate documentation and records and discusses with personnel or witnesses regarding any practice that appears to violate the patient's rights, or which cause unnecessary discomfort or embarrassment to patients, their family, or the health care facility and reports such findings with recommendations for improvement to the Facility Director and/or the Facility Quad/Pentad. Comprehend and explain numerous government laws, directives, and policies is required to provide information to individuals representing various levels of educational and cultural backgrounds. Patient Representation: Serves as the liaison between the Facility, patients, staff, and the community, ensuring Patient Rights and Responsibilities, advocacy, and services are available. Provides a channel through which patients can seek solutions to problems, concerns, and unmet needs, recognizing that complaints are a gap between service expectations and the actual experience of the patient. Interprets the Facility's mission, policies, procedures, and available resources/services to the patient and presents the patient's concern, opinions, and needs to appropriate staff and management. Assists patients, their families and representatives, and facility staff members in recognizing and removing institutional barriers to the provision of optimum health care to patients. Data Analysis/System Improvement: Serves as a staff member directly supporting facility Executive Leadership responsible for planning, organization, development, direction, and evaluation of VA Medical Facility administration. Works to identify the elements of clinical or administrative practices which contribute to or create an atmosphere for patient dissatisfaction and recommends appropriating official changes which will reduce or eliminate substantiated complaints. Serves on committees whereby patient complaints are identified, resolved, classified, and the data is utilized to improve overall services to patients. Presents patient issues and data at various facility meetings and committees. Incumbent provides trends of patient inquiries at service and facility levels. Produces, on a regular basis, a cumulative report which includes a categorization of patient inquiries to track and trend the patterns to identify opportunities for improvement. Relationship Management: Maintains a strong and consistent focus on Complaint Resolution which must always be accompanied by attempts at Service Recovery. Works closely in identifying, training, and consulting with SLAs, and front-line staff, in resolving issues on first contact within their service area and use of Patient Advocates Tracking System (PATS). Safeguards privacy data/sensitive policy-making data against unauthorized disclosure. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-9: having at least one (1) full year of Specialized Experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skill, and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically related to the work of the position. This specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Qualifying specialized Experience includes: (1) having experience in applying analytical and evaluative techniques identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or problems of a procedural or factual nature; (2) having knowledge of the theory and principles of management organization including administrative practices and procedures common to organizations; (3) ability to research and comprehend pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and procedures that relate to all aspects of the administration of health care; (4) maintaining a wide range of concepts, principles and practices of the management programs in order to train staff in complex procedures; (5) having experience and knowledge of communication and information dissemination techniques; and capable of adapting analytical techniques and evaluation criteria to the measurement and improvement of program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-9: (Transcript Required) - Applicants must possess at least two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE GS-9: (Transcript Required) - Combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-11: Having one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: Specialized experience includes: having knowledge of Federal Laws, regulations and directives governing medical benefits for individual; facility policies, procedures and organizational structure; medical terminology, services available; capabilities of clinics; and must be aware of changes which affect benefits; ability to comprehend and explain numerous government laws, directives and policies required in order to provide information to individuals representing a myriad of educational and cultural backgrounds; understands the policies, patterns, and practices of regulated entities as they relate to the compliance programs of the various internal and external regulatory bodies (such as the Joint Commission requirement for an advance directive program and documented compliance with patient's rights); administration and clinical services in order to respond to concerns expressed by patients and their families relative to the healthcare service; and has a high degree of skill In oral and written communication as well as interpersonal relations. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-11: Having a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE GS-11: (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) - equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience (as described above) to meet the requirements at the GS-11. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: AccountabilityCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Decision MakingExternal AwarenessListening IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements: The work includes walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, and occasionally assisting with a wheelchair. In some instances, relationships with patients and caregivers can become intense and the Patient Representative is constantly exposed to high levels of stress and anxiety. This position demands emotional stability, as the Patient Representative is deeply involved with many challenging, seriously ill, and/or dying patients and their caregivers. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Maryland Health Care System 10 North Greene Street Baltimore, MD 21201 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]