Associate Patient Safety Officer - DUHS - Duke Quality Network

DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM

Duke Quality Network is a division of Network Services that collaborates with DUH, SOM, DUHS departments, CSUs or divisions and other appropriate parties to advance their missions

 

                                                                                  

Divisional Purpose:

The DQN Associate Patient Safety Officer (APSO) position has been created:

 

To support the Duke Quality Network efforts related to the execution of the Duke Quality Program for Quality affiliates, Duke LifePoint (DLP) hospitals as well as the other hospitals in LifePoint Health.  

 

To work collaboratively at affiliated hospital sites with executive teams, other administrative staff, and medical and nursing staff to develop strategies to minimize patient harm and develop a culture of safety. Through collaborative partnerships, the DQN APSO consults with local PSOs to develop programs and services that produce measurable improvements in processes and practices that affect patient safety. This will involve developing delivery systems and programs to ensure the provision of the DUHS standard of quality care at Duke LifePoint and LifePoint hospitals, and Duke Quality Affiliates.   

 

To independently and systematically implement effective, reliable care practices and develop appropriate institutional patient safety culture, by utilizing knowledge of best evidence-based practices combined with knowledge and experience of front line clinical operations and methods of quality improvement to provide leadership the ability to improve measures of quality and patient safety.

 

Job Summary

The DQN Associate Patient Safety Officer (APSO) position will:

 

Independently provide leadership, direction and/or participate in the patient safety committees and be responsible for communicating vertically and horizontally to all constituents within DLP Hospitals and vertically within Duke and LifePoint as appropriate. Additionally, this position will be responsible for the development of standards and metrics to measure and monitor performance around patient safety and the quality of care.

 

Serve as the expert on issues related to Patient Safety to support the Duke Quality Network that (1) facilitates Duke-affiliated Patient Safety and Clinical Quality programs, (2) advocates for community access to high quality care, (3) provides formal and informal consultative services for Duke-affiliated programs, (4) protects the Duke brand and (5) expands the reach of the DUHS to communities and to remote market providers.

 

Consult with, mentor and educate community PSOs in the DQN and affiliate hospital PSOs to proactively address patient safety issues utilizing data, information from Patient Safety and Quality Committees, and other reports to analyze issues and determine root causes. Serve as a professional role model and mentor to staff by working to support the change process. 

Serve as an effective clinical and operational liaison concerning the facilitation and implementation of innovative systems that eliminate patient harm. 

Develop essential collaborative relationships with the DLP CEOs and PSOs, keeping them informed of patient safety priorities, initiatives and incidents to maintain patient safety as a high priority.

 

Introduce patient safety scorecard and/or dashboard indicators in conjunction with medical and nursing staff at the affiliate hospital leadership as a mechanism of tracking and adherence to agreed-upon patient safety goals.

 

Independently participate in the initial assessment of locations, make realistic recommendations based on the findings and then facilitate the interventions and resources specific to the findings.  This approach will serve to align existing safety and quality efforts with the institutional priorities.

Function in a self-reliant manner, representing DUHS Network Services in meetings and discussions with senior leadership of DUHS, affiliate and external organizations, including LifePoint.

 

Job Responsibilities: External Component

 

Planning:

• Commence and oversee the development of a comprehensive patient safety improvement program inclusive of analysis and trending of data related to hospital initiatives

• Support coordination for Patient Safety assessments

• Develop action plans according to assessments

• Support determination of budgetary requirements for ongoing support

• Remain fully informed of national and local patient safety mandates

 

Operations Management. 

Meet obligations specific to each site including: 

• Consult on topics related to the design and implementation