Patient Safety Manager

Department Overview

The Patient Safety Manager provides leadership for the patient safety and clinical risk managment programs

and works with OHSU Healthcare leadership to support patient safety activities across the organization. They work with others within the facility towards a systematic implementation of effective practices designed to reduce error, create reliable systems, identify improvement opportunities, mitiate risk, and improve patient outcomes.

 

The Patient Safety Manager provides leadership and direction for the clinical safety program, safety components of OHSU's Quality Management Strategic Plan and effectiveness of the OHSU Management System (OMS) reporting.

 

The Patient Safety Program Manager educates clinical and hospital staff on system-based design and error prevention, provides safety consultation to management and staff, disseminates best practices and safety information to others, and acts as a change agent to support the implementation of effective patient safety strategies within the organization. They oversee the administration of our periodic Culture of Safety Survey and coordinates the subsequent action plans in collaboration with the executive team

Function/Duties of Position

Safety Program Leadership 

• Provides leadership to OHSU Healthcare on activities that promote patient safety.
• Oversees the design and implementation of the Patient Safety Program. Annually evaluates the effectiveness of the Patient Safety Program.
• Promotes a "culture of safety" through education, specific improvement activities, and periodic evaluation and assessment.
• Works closely with the VP of Quality, Safety & Improvement, Manager of Clinical Quality, and the OMS committees to provide the required oversight.
• Directs the work and provides supervision of the Patient Safety team. 
• Provides clinical risk management/patient safety leadership in assessing the safety of new equipment and technology, clinical risk management, and medication safety by organizing/staffing the Patient Safety Review Committee.
• Ensures patient safety team representation on the Medication Safety Committee, Infection Prevention & Control Committee, and the Value Analysis Committee.
• Serves as the organizational liaison to the Oregon Patient Safety Commission and our Patient Safety Organization.
• Provides leadership with our event reporting system. Assures the review of submittals; assures timely investigation and response; identifies critical events for further analysis/action; assures timely aggregate reporting; and uses the PSI data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Provides leadership in the use of patient safety/risk management tools within the organization including case reviews and critical analysis tools 
• Coordinates and assures timely completion of root cause analyses and action plans for all sentinel events.
• Works with senior leadership, nursing, the medical staff and other clinical departments to implement, promote, and maintain a just culture.
• Maintains a positive, collaborative, and accountable relationship with the various OHSU departments including Quality Management, , Regulatory Affairs, Infection Control, Risk Management, Nursing, Clinical Departments, Pharmacy, and Patient Relations.
• Provides leadership for implementation of the CMS Patient Safety Structural Measure and completes the yearly required reporting

Advisor and contributor to the development and execution of the quality management strategy and the overall system quality goals.

• Serves as expert resource to employees, department/program directors, medical staff, and Hospital and Clinics on issues, policies, and procedures related to patient safety/risk management.
• Engages, coaches and supports others to help create an environment where all take initiative, use their skills to solve problems and innovate.
• Promotes skill and confidence building to support others to simplify complexity, improve patient care, and bring more joy and fulfillment into our work.
• Serves as an internal expert resource in safety science and continuous performance improvement and provides on-going training in the key principles of systems thinking, teamwork, and customer service.
• Provides expertise to leaders

Program Implementation

• Recommends and facilitates change within the organization to improve patient safety based on identified risk and recommendations from internal and external sources.
• Communicates patient safety-related information within the organization including the Administrative Team, the OHSU Management System, the Professional Board, and the UHS Board.
• Develops, reviews, and revises policies and procedure