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Patient Risk Relations Specialist

Southern Illinois Healthcare · Carbondale, IL · $68,827–$106,683 a year · Full time

Posted Aug 18, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you had to deliver a finding that a physician did not want to hear.

What they are checking: Courage and tact when risk work points to a provider's practice.

How does your nursing experience help you judge whether care met the standard?

What they are checking: Clinical judgment from five years of practice applied to reviewing events fairly.

Tell me about a time you supervised or guided coworkers while your manager was away.

What they are checking: Readiness to fill in for the manager, as the posting notes.

What would you do

A family is furious about their mother's care and demands to see someone now. How do you handle the first conversation?

What they are checking: De-escalating a highly emotional situation while learning what actually happened.

A risk event report suggests a medication error caused patient harm. What do you do first?

What they are checking: Prioritizing patient safety, preserving facts and alerting the right leaders quickly.

A patient threatens to sue during your meeting. How do you respond?

What they are checking: Staying calm and professional, and knowing what to say and not say about legal matters.

How do you stay neutral when staff feel blamed by a risk review?

What they are checking: Building a just culture where staff keep reporting events instead of hiding them.

About the work

Walk me through how you investigate a grievance from intake to resolution letter.

What they are checking: A structured process that meets CMS grievance rules on timing and written response.

How do you tell the difference between a complaint and a grievance?

What they are checking: Understanding of CMS definitions, which change what the hospital must do and by when.

How do you decide whether an event needs a root cause analysis?

What they are checking: Knowledge of sentinel event criteria and when deeper review is required.

How do you look for trends across many complaints and incident reports?

What they are checking: Turning individual cases into data that reduces future harm and loss.

How do you keep detailed records while protecting peer review and patient privacy?

What they are checking: Careful documentation that supports the hospital without exposing protected information.

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The full job description

As published by Southern Illinois Healthcare.

Current SIH employees need to apply for positions through our internal job portal. Log in to Workday to apply through the Jobs Hub. Position Summary • Responsible for managing patient relations grievances and/or complaints. Assist in identification, evaluation, and treatment of risk events within the hospital to reduce the frequency and severity of controllable unusual events, which may result in injury to patients or financial loss to the institution within the framework of the goals, objectives, and mission of SIH. Education • Associates Degree in Nursing required • Bachelor’s degree in Nursing preferred Licenses and Certification • Current Illinois RN Licensure Experience and Skills • Technical Experience: 5 years • May supervise staff intermittently in absence of Manager • Ability to manage highly complex and uniquely challenging situations, requiring extensive consideration of variables that impact multiple areas outside of the job area. • Ability to work independently with little supervision and provide general guidance, mentorship, or indirect supervision to colleagues. • Ability to de-escalate highly emotional and intense situations with patients/families, providers, and colleagues Role Specific Responsibilities Patient Relations (35%) • Directly responsible for specific patient complaints/grievances in the form of face-to-face patient and family contact, letters, phone calls, emails, patient satisfaction surveys, and potentially other forms of communication (e.g. provider or employee communication); • Directly responsible for Investigating concerns through collaboration with a dministration/Providers/Managers/Supervisors for timely responses to patients/families. • Facilitates grievance meetings and acts as patient liaison. • Directs patient inquiries and complaints to appropriate medical staff members and follows up to ensure satisfactory resultions. • Explains policies, procedures, and services to patients using medical or administrative knowledge. • Directly responsible for resolving the patient/family concern(s) in a formal written follow-up process within CMS guidelines. • Assists with managing billing concerns related to patient/family complaint/grievance at the guidance of the facility Risk Manager. • Directly responsible for collaborating with all levels of the organization to investigate patient lost belongings. • Initiates the re-imbursement process for replacement when warranted. • Facilitates service recovery as specific occasions arise. • Reads literature, talks with colleagues, continues education, and participates in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the field. Identifies and shares research, recommendations, or other information pertinent to patient/family satisfaction. Risk (65%) • Directly responsible for reviewing/monitoring risk events in the monitors RDE (Remote Data Entry) reporting system. • Directly responsible for investigating risk concern through chart reviews and collaboration with the Medical Staff members and staff. • Directly responsible for managing communication with patients/families to ensure transparency, timeliness, and resolution. • Identifies potential risks by analyzing data, observing processes, and talking to providers and staff. • Ensures and/or facilitates adequate communication concerning key risks. • Collaborates with Quality Peer Review Coordinator when cases are identified as potential peer issues. • Responsible for timely referrals to Infection Prevention, Quality, Nursing, Ancillary Departments, Administration, and other departments as appropriate. • Reviews patient charges for any pertinent adjustments and monitors for the completion of adjustments. • Supervises office staff when manager is unavailable or otherwise engaged. • Directly responsible for new provider orientation. • Performs general employee and Nursing orientation. • Assists with external requests for explants. • Reads literature, talks with colleagues, continues education, and participates in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the field. Identifies and shares research, recommendations, or other information pertinent to legal liabilities, risk management or quality of care. Compensation (Commensurate with experience): $68827.2 To $106683.2 To access our Benefits Guide/Plan Information, please click the link below: http://www.sih.net/careers/benefits

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