Patient & Family Support Generalist

UPMC Mercy is hiring a Patient & Family Support Generalist to join our team full-time! 

Schedule: Monday through Friday, 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM (no weekends or holidays).

• Department Perks/Selling Points:
  • Positive work environment with a great team atmosphere.
  • New operating rooms and unit.
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Family Check-In: Greet and check in family members upon arrival.
  • Escort and Facilitation: Accompany family members through the surgical process, providing updates and guidance to ensure their comfort and understanding. Escort them throughout the hospital.
  • Family Conferences: Coordinate with surgeons to arrange family conferences.
  • PACU Collaboration: Collaborate with PACU RNs to facilitate family visits, allowing families to connect with their loved ones during recovery.

This role plays a crucial part in enhancing the overall experience for patients’ families by offering compassionate support and clear communication throughout the surgical journey.

Responsibilities:

• Communicate with Patient Relations staff on a daily basis. Update on any outstanding issues, report any problems with equipment or services in the lobby area and communicate any concerns or needs of the position. Attend monthly Patient Relations staff meetings.
• Provide a farewell comment to departing patients, families, visitors, physicians, employees and volunteers with a proper salutation and a smile. Offer some form of assistance.
• Complete MPAC/CPAC processes such as discharging patient from computer.
• Maintain the following resources: pamphlets regarding UPMC Health System, hospital departments with contacts and phone listings, patient information handbooks, physician’s office locations, diagnostic areas, maps of the UPMC Oakland campus and other areas, direction cards and information regarding services available in the Oakland area. Be fluent and offer this information to patients, families, visitors, physicians, employees and volunteers in anticipation of their needs.
• Work with Valet Parking to assist people to and from their vehicles and help with belongings. Direct customers to the Valet Parking cashier and assist when they are extensive delays with vehicle drop-off and pick-up.
• Complete housekeeping duties to ensure front entrance, lobby, escalator, and bathrooms are clean and free from clutter, litter and cigarette butts. Contacts housekeeping and maintenance departments for larger issues and areas outside those mentioned above and follows-up with them until completion.
• Maintain confidentiality of all patients, families, visitors, physicians, employees and volunteers and internal hospital operational information.
• Ensure that every interaction a patient, family, visitor, physician, employee or volunteer has is a positive one and implement any service recovery tool necessary to recover from those that aren’t.
• Greet all incoming patients, families, visitors, physicians, employees and volunteers with a proper salutation and a smile. Offer some form of assistance to facilitate their arrival.
• Provide directions (written and verbal) to all patients, families, visitors, physicians, employees and volunteers requesting information. Approach people who appear to be lost and offer assistance to their desired destination.
• Participate in a patient focused customer service program with services that include: calling patients before appointments to remind them and ensure that they have the correction directions and arrival information, greeting them upon arrival and escorting them to their destinations and remaining in contact by beeper for any assistance they may need during their visit.
• Work with Security to ensure that patients, families, visitors, physicians, employees and volunteers are compliant in non-smoking areas and with safety and security issues.
• Notify patients, families, visitors, physicians, employees and volunteers’ destination if there are issues with delays, special needs request or general communication.
• Assist the Patient and Family Support Services department in resolving patient issues including but not limited to: press ganey phone call follow-up, delivery of plants/flowers/special items for patients, assistance with lost belonging investigations and other special requests as needed.
• Provide prompt escort/transportation service (ambulatory or wheelchair) to the patient’s desired destination. Contact patient transport services when the destination is outside of the hospital.