If you have an issue, your Patient Advocate is going to try to help you to the best of their ability. Sometimes they can’t make a change, but will do their best to make you happy. Our Patient Advocate enjoys working with people to figure out ways to make their situation a little better.
The Patient Advocate is usually involved in what’s called a grievance. This is a formal process in which they typically researches patient complaints. These can range from disagreements about a discharge plan, lost items, food options, or a staff member.
Often, our Patient Advocate finds in each problem an opportunity to assist the patient. They have helped patients find new doctors, and helped a patient get a discharge plan changed. They have even worked with the billing department to help a patient pay their bill so they could continue their care.
Working with Patients and Staff
The Patient Advocate is also involved in helping identify problems and solutions before patients experience them.
As the Patient Advocate, they are a member of the hospital’s Patient Experience Committee. The committee brings together staff from across the organization to share what they do and find ways to work together to improve the patient experience.
Our Patient Advocate has also started going into each unit once a month to talk to the patients. This way they can give patients an overview of what they do, what the complaint process is, and get ideas from them. What could we do better? What kinds of things could we improve?
Helping Patients Learn to Help Themselves
The Patient Advocate also sees their role as helping patients learn to advocate for themselves.
Patients don’t always know how to speak up for themselves. Our Patient Advocate tries to help them find their own voice. For the smaller things, they are encouraged to talk to the staff first and try to resolve their problems. But if they need help, their Patient Advocate always there.
Whatever the patient issue or concern, the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute is committed to investigating it in a fair and appropriate manner. Patients and their family members are encouraged to voice their questions and concerns.
If you would like to speak to someone about better managing your stress and anxiety, or to make an appointment, please call (717) 782-6493 for more information.
“If you have an issue, your Patient Advocate is going to try to help you to the best of their ability. Sometimes they can’t make a change, but will do their best to make you happy. Our Patient Advocate enjoys working with people to figure out ways to make their situation a little better.”