Summary

POSITION SUMMARY:

**Must be a Registered Nurse (RN). 

Reporting to the VP of Quality and Patient Safety, the Patient Safety Officer (PSO) has primary oversight of the LifeBridge Health systemwide patient safety program. The PSO advises, supports, and facilitates the systematic implementation of effective, reliable care practices which promote a zero-harm patient safety culture which is key to high reliability.   The Patient Safety Officer (PSO) is responsible for working collaboratively with groups and individuals for the purpose of measurably improving patient safety and reducing patient harm/errors.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Patient Safety: Develop, enhance, and expand the focus on culture of safety and all patient safety initiatives across the system, ensure compliance with national patient safety goals, and benchmark performance at the local and national level

Serve on appropriate patient care and safety related committees as a facilitator, or member driving process improvement activities supporting patient safety goals Collaborate with medical staff and hospital leadership to create action plans for patient safety initiatives that address patient safety concerns Direct and collaborate activities that identify, evaluate, and reduce patient injuries and reduce the risk of loss to the organization related to patient injuries Continuously evaluate and improve the patient safety program based on internal needs and external requirements and standards Collaborate with Risk Management/Patient Safety and Quality Leadership to develop a comprehensive Quality & Patient Safety plan and updates as needed Maintain strong current knowledge base of National Patient Safety Goals and provides direction and/or assistance with developing actions, monitoring compliance, and escalating concerns to leadership as appropriate Support Accreditation and Regulatory Readiness with organizational response to state and federal regulatory standards related to patient safety including but not limited to TJC National Patient Safety Goals Develop and implement initiatives to create an appropriate patient safety culture using transparency and continuous learning and appreciative inquiry as the foundation Develop a system-wide Patient Safety Committee and lead the activities for the committee Serve as a TJC Chapter Chair and oversees the completion of National Patient Safety Goals Accreditation Tracers and evaluates the completion of action plans to meet/exceed compliance Monitor professional organizations and publications (i.e. AHRQ, IHI, ASHRM, Leapfrog, TJC) for new or revised best practices and effective strategies related to patient safety; collaborates with others to implement evidence-based safety practices Participate in statewide and focused initiatives that result in measurable improvements Utilizes the characteristics of a High Reliability Organization to build on prioritizing patient safety and creating an environment where proactive patient safety activities identify and anticipate potential problems, detect them early, and respond in advance of an event to prevent consequences Attends the Maryland Patient Safety Patient Safety Officer Forum as the PSO representative for LBH and shares findings with internal key stakeholders

Education: Utilize education, consultation, and guidance to create and monitor patient safety activities

Serve as a resource for clinical departments on issues of patient safety Design and implement ongoing continuing educational programs for all staff, providers, leadership, and board of trustees on patient safety issues and to improve awareness of their role in patient safety, risk reduction, event reporting and reportable regulatory events With collaboration of the Medical Staff, Patient Care Services and Human Resources, design, update and implement patient safety education modules for new employee orientation and continuing education Provide education on the system-based causes for medical error and the use of tools for analyzing error-prone processes and events that have occurred Advance education of patient safety research and tools to improve clinical processes and system reliability Provide instruction on patient safety principles and strategies for the Graduate Residency Program

Zero Harm: Foster an environment for zero harm

Conduct an annual assessment of patient risks and working closely with the Risk Management & Patient Safety Team, CQO, AVP Quality & Patient Safety and senior leadership, develops annual system patient safety goals Support/facilitate the implementation of systems that eliminate patient harm Support the application of "Just Culture" model when evaluating error mitigation and reduction Monitor weekly/monthly patterns and trends of all safety events reported through the safety event reporting system and provides overview and prevention strategies to the appropriate disciplines; provides benchmarking data Conduct and/or oversee patient safety risk assessments/FMEAs and summarize results and recommendations for improving safety Evaluate and provide input in the development and revisions to Clinical Policies

Strategy: Provide leadership and direction to the organizational patient safety strategy by fostering a just culture, reporting culture, and learning culture

Assist in the development and implementation of a system patient safety measurement strategy Ensure the development of surveillance systems to identify and mitigate potential patient harm Assist in monitoring compliance and developing actions to meet Leapfrog Culture of Safety Standards Support and encourage error reporting throughout the system through a non-punitive error reporting system Develop and support a recognition program aimed at improving patient safety Promote Patient Culture Survey and analyze as well as provide recommendations from findings of the survey

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

Seasoned professional knowledge; equivalent to a Master's degree; knowledge in more than one discipline Education discipline: Nursing or healthcare leadership (healthcare administration or MBA) 5-7 years of experience  Maryland Registered Nurse License (RN) required Patient Safety (CPPS) preferred

Additional Information

As one of the largest health care providers in Maryland, with 13,000 team members, We strive to CARE BRAVELY for over 1 million patients annually. LifeBridge Health includes Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital and Grace Medical Center, as well as our Community Physician Enterprise, Center for Hope, Practice Dynamics, and business partners: LifeBridge Health & Fitness, ExpressCare and HomeCare of Maryland.