The Dayton VA Medical Center is looking for a Patient Relations Specialist (GS7/9) serving in the Veterans Experience Section of the Community and Public Relations Service. This position enhances the Veterans Experience and Patient Advocate programs in the Medical Center by assisting patients in resolving concerns, answering questions, and providing information through contact made with Veterans in both outpatient and inpatient areas.

Duties

Public relations are extremely important in this office. The incumbent has many dealings with veterans, their families, other services and service organizations; therefore, making a good, positive impression is very important. The Incumbent, on a regular and recurring basis, performs the following: Administers the facility complaint process, including complaint resolution, data capture and analysis of issues/complaints in order to make system improvements. The Patient Relations Specialist assists front line staff in resolving issues that occur at the point of service and address complaints that were not able to be resolved at the point of service. Receives and listens to complaints and grievances from patients or from individuals on behalf of patients. Provides a channel through which patients can seek solutions to problems, concerns and unmet needs and documents these encounters appropriately. Assists patients in understanding their rights and acts as a liaison between Veterans and staff. Resolves problems on a multitude of issues, referring problems that require further assistance to appropriate staff or assigned patient advocate. Assists in the production of cumulative reports which include categorization of patient inquiries, concerns and issues in order to track and trend the patterns and identify opportunities for improvement in performance and the processes of care. Proposes solutions, goals and objectives for the Customer Service Standards. The incumbent is responsible for entering data in the patient tracking system on a regular and timely manner. Provides input into the development and conducting of appropriate customer service surveys. Assists in collection and analysis of data relating to customer services and assists to identify system problems relating to customer service standards. Possesses a knowledge base which allows him/her to serve as a central source of information within anti outside of the Patient advocate office. Is cognizant of appropriate procedures in reporting data and correct formats. Supports customer service needs of the clinics through assignments to special projects and appointments to committees, workgroups, and performance improvement teams. The Incumbent performs many administrative functions central to maintenance of efficient operations of the Patient Advocate Office. The incumbent, on a regular and recurring basis, performs the following: Determines correct office procedure and established guidelines for operations. Develops procedures to foster efficiency in office operations of the Patient Advocate Office. Coordinates the activities of the Patient Advocate Office through maintaining records of meetings, scheduling activities and screening all incoming items. Establishes the schedule for committees. Processes training requests and travel arrangements of the Patient Advocate Staff. The Patient Relations Specialist works closely in identifying training and consulting with Service level representatives who will be the front-line staff in resolving issues firsthand within their service area. Develops and sustains a system of tracking reports that are required. Ensures that all reports reach their destination during the established time frames. Verifies accuracy of these reports prior to processing. Possess good working knowledge of various policies, procedures, and regulations that govern this facility to ensure the accuracy of these reports. The Patient Relations Specialist administers the real time veteran feedback tool, consolidates responses within the database and provides information to all appropriate stakeholders through electronic and face to face means. All data will be correlated with all other appropriate data sources to provide a complete picture of opportunity. Performs additional activities assigned by the Supervisory Program Specialist for the Veterans Experience Section and/or Chief, Community and Public Relations Service. These special activities may require immediate attention, rapid coordination and planning, compiling data, preparing reports and summarizing surveys. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Monday - Friday 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. Position Description/PD#: Patient Relations Specialist/PD913860

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/09/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 grade level, and for the GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 grade level. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ability to interpret the Medical Center's mission, policies, procedures, and available resources/services to Veterans; Ability to assist with the handling of Veteran concerns/complaints in a timely, competent, and caring manner. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education. NOTE: TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION MATERIALS. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). Graduate Education: Education at the graduate level in an accredited college or university in the amounts shown in the table meets the requirements for positions at GS-7 through GS-11. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Superior academic achievement. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond. GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ability to research and respond to patient inquiries and complaints within a healthcare setting; Skilled in various office automation software programs used to track and analyze data to improve patient care; Ability to understand and interpret pertinent laws, regulations, and policies. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Graduate Education: Education at the graduate level in an accredited college or university in the amounts shown in the table meets the requirements for positions at GS-7 through GS-11. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond one (1) full year of graduate level education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. Physical Requirements: This position requires walking, standing, bending, typing, computer processing, filing, receiving and delivering mail and answering telephones, carrying of light items such as medical records and occasionally assisting with a wheelchair. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Dayton VA Medical Center 4100 West Third Street Dayton, OH 45428 US
• Name: Kristoffer St. Martin
• Phone: (937)604-4582
• Email: [email protected]