- Hours Per Week: 40
- Shift Start and End Times: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
At UConn Health and Waterbury Hospital, this class is accountable for directing the strategic and operational activities of patient experience programs and services. This class leads initiatives to measure, evaluate and improve the patient and family experience; oversees patient relations, complaints and grievances, service recovery, patient follow-up call management, guest and volunteer services; and promotes a culture of compassionate, responsive and patient-centered care.
Responsibilities
- Directs staff and operations of patient experience programs and services across UConn Health and Waterbury Hospital;
- Develops, implements and evaluates patient experience goals, strategies, programs, policies and service standards consistent with organizational priorities;
- Leads organization-wide efforts to measure, analyze and improve the patient and family experience across inpatient, emergency, ambulatory and other patient care settings;
- Oversees patient experience measurement programs, including HCAHPS, CAHPS and Press Ganey; analyzes patient feedback and performance data to identify trends, opportunities and priorities for improvement;
- Directs patient relations and the management of patient complaints and grievances, ensuring appropriate documentation, investigation, escalation, resolution and response in accordance with applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements;
- Develops and oversees service recovery practices and personally intervenes in complex, sensitive or high-risk patient and family situations as appropriate;
- Directs patient follow-up call management, including workflows, escalation protocols, performance monitoring and identification of opportunities to improve care transitions and the patient experience;
- Directs guest and volunteer services and establishes service standards that promote a welcoming, responsive and patient-centered experience for patients, families and visitors;
- Develops and oversees patient experience and service excellence education, training and coaching for staff, leaders, providers and volunteers;
- Develops and supports mechanisms for patient and family engagement and incorporates patient and family feedback and perspectives into organizational decision-making, programs and improvement initiatives;
- Collaborates with clinical, operational, Quality, Patient Safety, Risk Management, Regulatory, Compliance and administrative leadership to identify and address patient experience issues and related quality, safety and operational concerns;
- Leads interdisciplinary patient experience and performance improvement initiatives; develops action plans, monitors outcomes and promotes sustainable organizational improvements based on patient feedback and experience data;
- Schedules, assigns, oversees and evaluates the work of assigned staff; provides staff development and participates in recruitment and selection activities;
- Prepares or assists in preparation and administration of the budget for assigned patient experience programs and services;
- Serves as a patient experience resource and maintains collaborative relationships with patients, families, staff, leadership, and internal and external stakeholders whose activities impact patient experience programs and services;
- Performs related duties as required.
Qualifications
GENERAL EXPERIENCE
Five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in an acute care hospital or complex healthcare environment in patient experience, patient relations, healthcare operations, quality improvement, guest services, risk management, healthcare administration or a closely related area.
A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Nursing, Social Work, Public Health, Hospitality, Communications or a closely related field.
SPECIAL EXPERIENCE
Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED
A Master’s degree in a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
WORKING CONDITIONS
- Incumbents in this class may be exposed to disagreeable conditions, stress, and demands for critical or urgent actions.
- Work is performed primarily in a professional office environment and requires use of computer systems and standard office equipment.
- Work may involve periods of prolonged sitting, standing, walking, and the ability to review detailed information on computer screens.
- The position may require work beyond normal business hours to meet operational needs.
- Incumbents in this class may be required to travel between UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital and other network locations in the course of their work.
About Us
The UConn Health Community Network is a not-for-profit organization created to extend UConn Health’s mission by partnering with community hospitals and connecting them to its clinical expertise, academic strength, and operational resources.
Today, the network is a thriving community‑based system of care serving more than 280,000 residents across the region. It employs over 2,000 professionals and supports a medical staff of roughly 700 clinicians.
At its core is Waterbury Hospital, a 347‑bed community teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Alongside Connecticut Children’s, the UConn Health Community Network Medical Group, Access Rehab Centers, and its role as a leading partner in the Harold Leever Cancer Center, the network has been shaping the region’s healthcare landscape for more than 130 years.
And Waterbury Hospital is only the beginning — the network is designed for continued growth, deeper partnerships, and broader regional impact.
