Amy Matthews. It’s not easy, but the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute is dedicated to listening to patients and doing what they can to resolve an issue.
“If you have an issue, I’m going to try to help you to the best of my ability,” Matthews tells patients. “Sometimes I can’t make a change. But I will do my best to make you happy.
I like to work with people and try 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 she typically researches patient complaints.
These can range from disagreements about a discharge plan, lost items, food options, or a staff member.
Often, Matthews finds in each problem an opportunity to assist the patient. She’s helped patients find new doctors, and helped a patient get a discharge plan changed.
She’s even worked with the billing department to help a patient pay their bill so they could continue their care.
Working with Patients and Staff
Matthews is also involved in helping identify problems and solutions before patients experience them.
As the Patient Advocate, Matthews is a member of the hospital’s Patient Experience Committee. The committee brings together staff from across the organization share what
they do and find ways to work together to improve the patient experience.
Matthews has also started going into each unit once a month to talk to the patients. “I give them an overview of what I do, what the complaint process is,
and then get ideas from them. What could we do better? What kinds of things could we improve?”
Helping Patients Learn to Help Themselves
Matthews also sees her role as helping patients learn to advocate for themselves.
“Patients don’t always know how to speak up for themselves,” Matthews noted. “I try to help them find their own voice. For the smaller things,
I encourage them to talk to the staff first and try to resolve their problems. But if they need help, I’m 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 have an issue, I’m going to try to help you to the best of my ability. Sometimes I can’t make a change. But I will do my best to make you happy.
I like to work with people and try to figure out ways to make their situation a little better.”
— Amy Matthews, Patient Advocate