Patient Advocate

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

About Duke Primary Care

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke Primary Care, which offers family, adolescent, and internal medicine services as well as urgent, general pediatric, and virtual care at nearly 50 clinic locations across central North Carolina.

Patient Advocate - Duke Primary Care Performance Excellence

What you will do:

As a Patient Advocate, you will investigate, resolve, document, and report patient and visitor compliments and concerns. You will support customer service and patient relations initiatives at Duke University Hospital and provide monthly accountability and variance analysis of Balanced Scorecard Customer Service Outcomes for your assigned Clinical Service Unit(s).

Patient & Visitor Support

• Resolve complaints, grievances, and requests.
• Respond to suggestions and compliments; provide positive feedback to staff.
• Document concerns with patient info, incident details, actions, and outcomes in Feedback Monitor.
• Compose letters/emails to patients, visitors, physicians, and leadership per grievance policy.
• Notarize Advance Directives and answer related questions.

Collaboration & Quality Improvement

• Coordinate with PDC Customer Service, Patient Relations, and Risk Management.
• Partner with unit leadership to meet Balanced Scorecard goals.
• Identify system problems and work with staff to resolve them.
• Join committees and improvement initiatives to boost patient satisfaction.
• Support positive change across the Clinical Service Unit.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Conduct monthly accountability and variance analysis of customer service outcomes.
• Review complaint/grievance data with CSU leadership monthly.
• Help prepare executive reports and present findings to leadership.

Training & Culture Development

• Build strong partnerships with assigned clinics/units.
• Lead customer service training for staff.
• Perform other related tasks as needed.

What you will need:

Education

• Work requires Bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science or related field.

Experience

• Three years of customer service experience, preferably in a health care setting.

Degrees, Licensure, and/or Certification

• Notary Public Preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Provide excellent customer service and maintain strong interpersonal relationships.
• Handle difficult or angry individuals with patience and professionalism.
• Interact effectively with physicians, senior leadership, patients, and staff.
• Communicate patient and visitor rights and responsibilities clearly.
• Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills.
• Deliver clear, professional presentations when needed.
• Remain visible and supportive to staff, modeling service behaviors and resolution processes.
• Collaborate with staff to troubleshoot and resolve issues.
• Work effectively as part of a team to achieve goals and resolve concerns.
• Analyze issues, plan solutions, and organize follow-through steps.
• Troubleshoot problems and recommend effective solutions.
• Remain adaptable and manage ambiguous situations with confidence.
• Proficient in Windows-based operating systems and software.
• Knowledgeable about healthcare, HMO/health insurance, and/or Duke Medical Center operations.
• Address difficult or awkward situations with tact and diplomacy.
• Work independently with minimal supervision while staying engaged with the team.
• Serve as an informed regulatory healthcare representative for patients and the organization.

Distinguishing Characteristics of this Level

• N/A

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Job Title: PATIENT ADVOCATE

Job Code: 5350

FLSA: E

Job Level: E2

Revised Date: 08/15/2016

Supervisory Responsibility: No

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.