Director of Patient Relations

Title: Director of Patient Relations

State Role Title: 49172

Hiring Range: starting at $76,000 (commensurate based on experiene)

Pay Band: 5

Agency: Dept Behavioral Health/Develop

Location: Western State Hospital

Agency Website: https://dbhds.virginia.gov/facilities/wsh/

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

Western State Hospital is seeking a full time Director of Patient Relations who will be responsible for general administration activities in the DBHDS Human Rights program and operation of the facility Patient Complaint process. This position will provide day to day supervision of staff in a constructive manner in order to improve performance of each individual; ensure that the requirements of the performance planning and evaluation system are met and evaluations are completed by established deadlines with proper documentation; ensure compliance with Facility Competencies and training requirements as documented by training/competency records; plans, direct, organize and coordinate all Patient Relations departmental activities; and act as the facility Investigation Director and conducts and oversees patient abuse, neglect, and complaint investigations and complaints within the time frames specified by hospital policy.

The Director of Patient Relations will also make reports to the Hospital Director, DBHDS and Governing Board on human rights investigation trends and works with staff to facilitate corrective actions as identified; manage the Patient Complaint Liaison and ensures that investigations are conducted within the time frames outlined in hospital policy and makes reports to Hospital Director on status of complaints, trends and corrective actions taken to resolve patient issues; work with DBHDS, Human Resource Managers, and Facility Directors concerning DHRM grievance matters; perform administration activities in the facility Patient Safety Program and the facility patient complaint process; and ensure that the Patient Safety/Investigation program is in compliance/maintain certification with rules and surveys of Joint Commission as designed in coordination with the Hospital Director and reports compliance to the Hospital Director.

This position is eligible for:

- retirement with cash match
- paid time off, community service time; and sick/personal time
- life insurance
- health, vision, and dental insurance

Minimum Qualifications

- Graduation from a college or university with course work in a healthcare specialty or equivalent experience
- Previous experience in investigations in non-medical, clinical services area, or clinical specialty, preferably in a public hospital setting
- Experience with Joint Commission/CMS/Human Rights standards
- Experience with investigation and writing reports

Additional Considerations

- Experience utilizing the CHRIS patient complaint system or other electronic abuse/neglect system
- Bilingual
- Veteran or veteran spouse

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

The successful applicant must pass a criminal background investigation, drug screening test and employment reference check. The applicant must have the ability to perform at the level of physical demands noted on the Employee Work Profile and the verified ability to perform the essential functions of the position.

Commonwealth’s Alternate Hiring Process: In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their Certificate of Disability (COD) provided by a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor within the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their Certificate of Disability. If you need to get a Certificate of Disability, use this link: https://www.vadars.org/drs/cpid/PWContact.aspx, or call DARS at 800- 552-5019, or DBVI at 800-622-2155.

DBHDS is a healthcare organization and must comply with the federal CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care staff Vaccination Regulation which requires all employees to be vaccinated or receive an exemption. Upon acceptance of a job offer, new recruits will be asked to disclose their vaccination status (and for those fully vaccinated, proof of vaccination) during the pre-employment process. New staff who are not vaccinated for any reason or choose not to disclose their vaccination status, will need to request a medical or religious accommodation. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Contact Information

Name: Samantha Leep

Phone: 540-332-8306

Email: samantha.leep@dbhds.virginia.gov

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.