Patient Representative

Patient Advocacy within VA exists to ensure patient concerns are heard and addressed to improve the overall experience and quality of care for patients. The VA utilizes Patient Advocates and staff members across diverse services/departments who are dedicated to specifically working with patients and their caregivers to resolve complaints that arise at the point of service.

The Patient Representative is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Patient Advocate programs. The Patient Representative assists the Chief, Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation to enhance the Veterans' health care experience. This position is linked to top management when developing and implementing solutions to concerns addressed by the Customer Service Department and may cross broad organizational lines.Duties may include, but are not limited to: Serves as the liaison between the medical center, patients and staff, and the community regarding the patient experience, patient rights and advocacy. Assure the timely resolution of patient and family complaints, identify and participate in the identification and correction of system issues, educate staff regarding patient centered strategies and collect and analyze data in order to identify trends and patterns that create difficulty for patients or families using the Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS). Maintain a clear communication between the Veteran population, staff and facility leadership. Responsible for supporting proactive training initiatives including Patient Centered Care Training, New Employee Orientation and New Patient Orientation. Reports and documents patient status and changes, and documents using monthly summaries or quarterly summaries pertaining to both resolved and unresolved patient and/or family concerns. Communicates pertinent information to appropriate parties concisely, accurately and in a timely fashion. Reports significant and relevant information and issues to leadership. Reviews data, performs comprehensive analysis and recommends remedial actions. Assists patients in understanding their rights in addition to their responsibilities. interprets the Medical Center's mission, policies, and procedures, assesses available resources/services/options available to the patient and then represents the patient's problems, opinions and need to appropriate staff and management. Explains entitlements to patients and their families. Overall responsibility for the resolution of patient problems. Receives and listens to complaints and grievances from patients or from individuals on behalf of patients that are unresolved at the service level. 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: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Patient Representative/PD99864S and PD99473S

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.