Patient Relations Decedent Affairs Specialist
Job Summary
Employment Duration: 5 months
The Patient Relations and Decedent Affairs Specialist serves as a bridge between the Medical Center and patients, families, and staff. This role coordinates communication, manages complex complaints and grievances under regulatory timeframes, and ensures concerns are directed to appropriate departments for resolution.
In addition, this position supports and manages daily operations of the Decedent Affairs program, ensuring compliance with County, State, and Federal regulations while providing compassionate guidance and practical support to families during end-of-life processes.
This is a highly autonomous role requiring advanced knowledge of patient relations practices, regulatory standards, and decedent affairs procedures, along with sound judgment and strong problem-solving skills.
Key Responsibilities:
Inquiry, Complaint & Grievance Case Management
- Independently manage inquiries, complaints, and grievances, including complex quality-of-care allegations received in person, by phone, email, or mail.
- Facilitate de-escalation of acute patient and staff concerns to minimize institutional impact.
- Collaborate with Risk Management, Privacy Office, Legal Affairs, Security, and Threat Management teams as needed.
- Ensure compliance with patient rights regulations including HIPAA, CMS, and Joint Commission standards.
- Draft and deliver patient-facing written and verbal communications to achieve case resolution.
- Lead multidisciplinary conferences to address patient, family, and staff concerns.
- Serve as consultant and liaison between patients/families and clinical and non-clinical departments.
- Document confidential inquiries in the Patient Relations database for benchmarking and reporting.
- Promote staff education on patient rights, equal access, cultural competency, service excellence, and regulatory compliance.
Decedent Affairs Program Management
- Support and manage daily operations of the Decedent Affairs program in compliance with city, state, and federal regulations.
- Process legal and hospital documentation including death certificates, permits, and related forms.
- Act as liaison among physicians, nursing staff, pathology, social work, grieving families, medical examiners, public administrators, funeral directors, and mortuaries.
- Verify authorized patient representatives and lead investigations when necessary to identify legal next of kin.
- Coordinate autopsy permits and ensure adherence to family wishes.
- Arrange culturally sensitive decedent viewings in collaboration with pathology and chaplain services.
- Maintain working knowledge of end-of-life cultural practices and regulatory requirements.
- Lead workflow updates, policy revisions, and regulatory compliance initiatives.
- Serve as liaison to donor networks and external regulatory agencies.
- Participate in emergency management planning and special projects related to morgue operations and downtime procedures.
Service Excellence & Organizational Representation
- Model professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence in all interactions.
- Demonstrate strong mediation, conflict resolution, and communication skills.
- Maintain positive relationships with administrators, clinicians, staff, and external partners.
- Promote teamwork and contribute to a respectful and supportive work environment.
- Adhere to privacy, confidentiality, safety, and infection control standards.
Additional Responsibilities
- Manage patient addendum and amendment requests.
- Provide intake coverage and triage of complaints and grievances.
- Participate in proactive patient rounding and service recovery initiatives.
- Develop and deliver educational sessions related to Patient Relations, Decedent Affairs, and customer service.
- Support departmental special projects and operational initiatives.
The final salary and offer components are subject to additional approvals based on UC policy.
To see the salary range for this position (we recommend that you make a note of the job code and use that to look up): TCS Non-Academic Titles Search (https://tcs.ucop.edu/non-academic-titles)
Please note: An offer will take into consideration the experience of the final candidate AND the current salary level of individuals working at UCSF in a similar role.
For roles covered by a bargaining unit agreement, there will be specific rules about where a new hire would be placed on the range.
To learn more about the benefits of working at UCSF, including total compensation, please visit: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html Department Description UCSF's Temporary Employment Program (TEP) recruits and hires temporary employees for immediate clerical and technical support services to UCSF Departments and various off-campus locations. UCSF departments deploy temporary employees to work on special projects, fill in for regular employees who are on vacation or leave, or to temporarily fill a vacant position during recruitment. Frequently temporary employees become successful candidates for career and limited appointment positions. Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a related field and/or equivalent experience/training.
- Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in Patient Relations, Decedent Affairs, or related field.
- Thorough knowledge of Patient Relations techniques and procedures.
- Strong knowledge of County, State, and Federal regulations pertaining to patient rights and documentation of patient deaths.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex complaints and quality-of-care concerns.
- Strong conflict resolution and de-escalation skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and demanding timeframes.
- Ability to use sound judgment, discretion, and maintain confidentiality.
- Proficiency with word processing and spreadsheet software.
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with Electronic Death Registration systems (Cal-IVRS, EDRS, FDRS).
- Knowledge of medical center and UC policies and processes.
- Knowledge of federal, state, and local patient rights regulations and compliance risk identification.
- Strong teaching and presentation skills.
About UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. We bring together the world's leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging and stem cells. Pride Values UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence - also known as our PRIDE values.
In addition to our PRIDE values, UCSF is committed to equity - both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available at diversity.ucsf.edu
Join us to find a rewarding career contributing to improving healthcare worldwide. Equal Employment Opportunity The University of California San Francisco is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/ppsm-20 For the University of California's Anti Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination Job Code and Payroll Title 004492 PAT REL PROFL 4 CX Job Category Administrative Support, Support Services, Temporary Employment Bargaining Unit Teamsters Local 2010 - Clerical and Allied Services Unit (CX) Employee Class Temporary Employment Location San Francisco, CA |
University of California - San Francisco Campus and Health
Feb 12, 2026