Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager at Parkland Health in Parkland, WA

Primary Purpose The Senior Patient Safety Clinical Risk Manager leads patient safety and risk management efforts across the health system, collaborating with leadership to implement a comprehensive safety program. Responsibilities include investigating safety events of all harm levels, conducting root cause analyses, and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations in grievance investigations. The role supports high-reliability program initiatives including but not limited to use of Just Culture principles, identifies improvement opportunities using industry-standard tools, and independently leads risk mitigation projects. Additionally, this professional facilitates medical event disclosure conversations, mentors peers, and builds strong relationships with clinical and operational leaders to enhance safety culture.

Minimum SpecificationsEducation

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing, clinical or healthcare related field of study from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Education:

• Master's degree in Nursing, Healthcare Risk Management, Patient Safety, Human Factors Engineering, Jurisprudence, Juris Doctor, or a related field of study from an accredited institution.

Experience

• Eight (8) years of clinical or healthcare experience in an acute care setting.
• Four (4) years leading projects related to risk management and/or patient safety in an acute care facility.
• Must have successfully led projects related to patient safety improvement or healthcare risk management.

Equivalent Education and/or Experience

• A combination of education and experience in a highly complex system may substitute for years of experience.

Certification/Registration/Licensure

• Certification, registration, or licensure related to clinical degree must be current and maintained, AND
• Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), OR Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM) from the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM).

Skills or Special Abilities

• Ability to independently prioritize, plan, and facilitate multiple investigations and projects of varying complexity.
• Self-starter with strong critical thinking, able to work autonomously and collaboratively within interdisciplinary teams.
• Skilled in delivering presentations to healthcare executives and workforce members at all levels.
• Expertise in maintaining organized, professionally written investigative files while ensuring confidentiality.
• Ability to foster respectful, collegial, and effective working relationships with physicians, employees, patients, and external stakeholders.
• Strong managerial skills, including problem-solving, negotiation, conflict resolution, and effective team facilitation.
• Capacity to remain flexible and responsive to emerging issues within the health system.
• Demonstrated ability to apply investigative skills and critical thinking in high-stakes environments.
• Skilled at identifying and implementing improvements that enhance patient safety and operational efficiency.
• Experience in developing policies and procedures while ensuring alignment with healthcare regulations.
• Demonstrates Parkland Health ICARE Values and supports its Mission, Vision, and overall organizational goals as well as Just Culture and High Reliability principles.

Responsibilities

Clinical Risk Management

• Conduct and oversee investigations related to patient safety events, including Cause Analysis and SBAR reviews.
• Lead case investigations in accordance to criteria published by The Joint Commission (Sentinel Events), National Quality Forum, (NQF), Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) investigations, ensuring compliance with standard operating procedures.
• Identify and escalate clinical care deviations and patient rights concerns that present safety or legal risks.
• Facilitate disclosure conversations, coaching providers and operational leaders for patient discussions.
• Manage Quality-of-Care grievances, ensuring timely responses and compliance with regulatory standards.
• Investigate and report equipment-related safety events according to regulations established by the Safe Medical Device Act (SMDA).
• Stay current with healthcare risk management trends, integrating best practices into system-wide efforts.

Patient Safety

• Implement and support High Reliability Organization (HRO) and Just Culture principles across the health system.
• Manage and assess safety posts, identifying trends and escalating critical cases.
• Analyze investigation outcomes to identify patterns and improvement opportunities.
• Build strong stakeholder relationships, providing regular updates and educational insights.
• Conduct weekly rounding to reinforce shared learnings and engage frontline staff.
• Lead and participate in patient safety initiatives aimed at reducing harm and improving outcomes.

Quality of Care Grievances

• Independently manages complex, high-sensitivity patient grievances, ensuring thorough investigations.
• Draft regulatory-compliant response letters for quality-of-care grievances.
• Ensure CMS compliance by tracking and closing grievances within required timelines.
• Utilize and manage complaint tracking systems to monitor grievance resolutions effectively.

Job Accountabilities

• Identifies ways to improve work processes and improve customer satisfaction. Makes recommendations to supervisor, implements, and monitors results as appropriate in support of the overall goals of the department and Parkland.
• Stays abreast of the latest developments, advancements, and trends in the field by attending seminars/workshops, reading professional journals, actively participating in professional organizations, and/or maintaining certification or licensure. Integrates knowledge gained into current work practices.
• Maintains knowledge of applicable rules, regulations, policies, laws and guidelines that impact the area. Develops effective internal controls designed to promote adherence with applicable laws, accreditation agency requirements, and federal, state, and private health plans. Seeks advice and guidance as needed to ensure proper understanding.