Patient Safety Engineer, Quality Improvement Program

The University of Iowa is seeking a full-time Patient Safety Engineer for their Quality Improvement Program. The role involves assessing and implementing patient safety principles, managing incident reporting systems, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to enhance patient safety across the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Manages the incident reporting system. Reviews all safety events that attribute to clinical areas of responsibility and other areas as needed/appropriate. Ensures events are categorized correctly and have the correct level of harm assigned. Ensures reviewers provide appropriate incident report follow up documentation in the system prior to closing out an event. Completes concurrent event review, defined as closing out non-high harm events within 1 month of submission
• Manages high harm event reviews that attribute to clinical areas of responsibility and other clinical areas as needed/appropriate. Secures staff members perception of high harm events utilizing the standardized Qualtrics survey questions. Presents high harm events, incorporating Qualtrics survey responses, at the Patient Safety Steering Committee (PSSC) on a weekly basis to discern next steps from committee members. Provides input, guidance and direction, as appropriate, in the management of safety events
• Facilitates Comprehensive Systematic Analyses (CSAs) as directed by the PSSC and/or CQO, following QuIP Patient Safety Engineer Event Management Guidelines and The Joint Commission Sentinel Event policy
• Attends Quality and Safety Oversight Subcommittee (QSOS) meetings to represent and answer questions related to CSA Action Plans
• Develops and updates educational incident reporting and safety content for all staff members at UI Health Care
• Provides incident reporting education/training as needed to all staff members in the organization
• Participates in/leads pillar patient safety committees, Sentinel Event/Serious Safety Event meetings, teams, work groups, and huddles. Serves as a patient safety consultant to various other committees to ensure integration of patient safety work across the continuum of care
• Prepares accurate tracking and trending of patient safety incidents and related activities
• Facilitates use of data to identify opportunities to improve safety, prevent events with the potential to negatively impact patient care, promote a culture of patient safety and improve hospital processes
• Develops reports to effectively communicate findings. Presentation of information is clear, concise, and tailored to the level of the user
• Provides a regular cadence of safety event reporting to appropriate governance structures, clinical departments, and/or other designated groups as appropriate throughout the organization on an ongoing basis
• Conducts cause analysis on safety events and work with departments to mitigate the immediate risks to patients as a result of human or systems errors
• Collaborates with Risk Management to ensure continuity and closed loop communication in how we are addressing and ensuring accountability to thorough review processes with high harm events. Ensures disclosure practices are followed and documentation practices in the EHR are adhered to
• Facilitates compliance with The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state quality and patient safety requirements by coordinating, organizing and communicating appropriate information to designated committees, teams, work groups and leadership in a timely fashion. Leads initiatives for high priority safety opportunities as identified by leadership
• Manages/supports the Good | Great Catch award program
• Conducts Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) as needed/appropriate
• Completes quality and safety reviews for insurance companies
• Participates in annual Critical Access Hospital (CAH) reviews. Provides educational support to CAHs as needed/requested
• Assumes special assignments as delegated by the Chief Quality Officer and the Director of the Quality Improvement Program

Requirements:

• A master's degree in a healthcare related field with 1-3 years' experience in healthcare outcomes, performance improvement initiatives/techniques and/or safety experience in a healthcare organization, or a bachelor's degree in nursing with at least 3 years' experience clinical nursing care
• A current RN license
• Relevant experience (3 years or more) experience in clinical nursing care
• Outstanding communication skills at the verbal, written and presentation levels
• Demonstrated proficiency in computer software applications, including Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint and Visio
• Possess ability to analyze data and report metrics
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to work with minimal supervision
• Flexible and adaptable to changing situations, priorities and deadlines
• Strong investigative, analytical and critical thinking skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of effective strategies for working with patients, faculty, staff and students from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives
• Previous clinical experience in an academic medical center
• Some knowledge of University and Regent policies, procedures, and regulations
• Member/active participation in professional organization(s)