As I walked into the department, I was greeted by Maria Argyris, Intake Coordinator, who functions as the “air traffic controller” for the department. Maria’s role is vital to the operation of this department.
She starts every morning by checking messages to make sure that any urgent patient issues are appropriately triaged and assigned for follow-up. Maria serves as the first point of contact for patients and family members who call or walk in to the department. She helps to de-escalate issues, answers questions and builds a connection with our patients and visitors while guiding them to the right resources.
Roseanna Ryan, Director of Patient Advocacy, explained that the Patient Advocacy team works to promptly assist patients, families and staff and reduce the anxiety and stress that can be experienced during a healthcare experience.
Our Chief Patient Experience Officer, Nicole Rossol, said that her goal is to change the mindset that Patient Advocacy is reactive and is here to provide a proactive approach, where they work with our healthcare team and patients before an issue presents itself. The best way to achieve this is by working with our physicians, nurses and other staff to round on our patient-care units.
With this goal in mind, the department recently implemented a proactive rounding program with a dedicated Patient Advocate on the medicine service. Since the program was implemented, the department’s database, which tracks patient complaints and grievances, has noted a decrease in complaints/grievances and an increase in compliments on the medicine units.
Roseanna shared that when recruiting patient advocates, it is important to select candidates who genuinely want to help people. An effective advocate has to be compassionate, knowledgeable, committed and a good listener. They also need to be resourceful, flexible and supportive, as advocates support both our patients and our staff.
I was introduced to Tatiana Velasquez, Patient Advocate – Medicine Service, and took the opportunity to accompany her on her rounds on 16 North. Tatiana begins each day by reviewing the inpatient census, and starts rounding on patients on the second day of admission. When she arrives on the unit, she collaborates with the Nurse Manager, who provides her with information about the patients and lets her know if there are any special needs.
During her rounds, she logs all issues, concerns and positive feedback and works to address concerns in real time. At the conclusion of her rounds, she closes the loop by debriefing with the Nurse Manager and providing a summary of issues raised and conveys compliments received so that staff on the unit can be recognized for providing excellent care.
When we arrived on 16 North, we were greeted by Melissa Milhelm, Nurse Manager, who told me what a valuable resource Tatiana has been for the clinical staff. In addition to working on the patients’ behalf to settle issues and concerns, answering questions about hospital services, and helping to address non-clinical issues for patients, Tatiana assists the clinical staff by modeling how to de-escalate issues.
The patients also benefit from having an advocate who can listen to their concerns and address issues in real time. Tatiana shared that the patients she visits are grateful to have the opportunity to communicate with someone outside of the clinical care team, as they often do not want to bother clinicians with questions that are not related to their medical care.
“We are a neutral party for the patients” she said. “We're not directly involved in their care, but we're there to be their voice. Our clinical colleagues who are front-line staff really value that partnership, and we see ourselves as partners in the patient’s care.”
During rounds, we had the opportunity to visit with a patient (with the patient’s consent), and I observed Tatiana in action. She was attentive and caring as the patient shared some minor issues related to her care. As she does at the conclusion of every patient visit, Tatiana left the patient with a SBUH Patient Information Guide, which contains vital information about hospital services, and her business card so that the patient could reach out if she had further questions or concerns.
It was a pleasure visiting with the Patient Advocacy team. During the time spent with them, it was evident that they are a vital part of our hospital and serve as a liaison and essential resource for the hospital team, our patients and their families.
Carol
