Are you dissatisfied with the medical care you received from a certain hospital? Falling ill is an unfortunate event that can leave us helpless. The lack of receiving proper medical care from a hospital can make you feel devastated and stressed. If you feel that a hospital provided you with inadequate care, you have a right to make a medical complaint against the facility. The solution is not shouting at your doctor or demanding for instant services. Here is how you can go about it.
Determine the scope of your complaint
Inadequate care comes in different forms. You may have a complaint about a particular doctor or the whole hospital. Consider if a single incident is what made you receive inadequate care at the hospital or if the cause is a large systematic problem. As you think about your complaint, determine what you think should be done so that the same incident does not happen to other patients.
Some of the situations that warrant a complaint against a medical facility include poor communication, misdiagnosis, and unprofessionalism. Poor communication can lead to serious effects on you as the patient or even your family. If a doctor fails to tell you the side effects of specific procedures that need your consent, you can complain about poor communication.
You should not think twice about raising a complaint if a doctor does not handle you professionally. You can also complain about sleep deprivation if a nurse keeps on interrupting your sleep at night. Every patient has rights and being neglected or mishandled should not happen.
Complain to the right authority
Different hospitals have formal procedures that patients should follow when they are not satisfied with the services offered in such facilities. You have to complain to the proper authority for them to conduct the necessary investigations and give you feedback. Start by filing a complaint through the specific hospital. Go to the relevant department that deals with the grievances of patients and let them follow up on your case.
You can also go to the hospital’s website for you to complain online. Since no hospital wants a bad reputation, online complaints are addressed faster than physical ones. If you can’t face the doctor directly, let the customer service department help you address the situation.
Think of the possible outcome of your complaint
When raising a complaint against a hospital, there are different possible outcomes that may arise after investigations have been done. The facility can get reprimanded or even suspended depending on the severity of your case. As you raise your complaint, let the facility know your view on what you feel should be appropriate. The review board can consider your opinion when deciding the outcome of the case. For instance, if neglect from a certain doctor led to worsening of your illness, their license can be revoked.
Remember to maintain realistic expectations
As you raise your complaint, let your expectations be realistic as you wait for the outcome. You need to understand what the authority can and cannot do. If you raise your complaint by filling in the online form on the hospital website, go through the instructions to understand what is possible and what is not. For instance, if you are not happy about a rude doctor or nurse, address the issue with the hospital before taking it to a higher authority such as the national review board.
If you need monetary compensation for inadequate services at the hospital, you may need to do more than complaining. In this case, consider filing a lawsuit and get proper representation.
Get a patient advocate
Sometimes filing a complaint against an entire hospital when you are ill can be overwhelming. You may need to hire the services of a patient advocate to guide you through the process if you have a serious issue to raise against the hospital. Some of the hospitals have patient advocates among their staff. Make sure they remain discreet about your complaint if you choose to work with them.
Use appropriate forms
Big facilities such as hospitals have complaint forms for patients. After assessing the incident, you should fill in the form giving out all the necessary details. If you can’t get the form from the hospital, you may be able to download it from an online source.
Provide the necessary evidence
You need to be specific as you fill in a complaint form and provide all the necessary evidence to support your claim. This will help the investigations go faster so that you can receive a timely response. Some of the relevant documents could include medical records or a different opinion from a doctor in a different hospital when you are dealing with a misdiagnosis case.
Make sure you keep the original copies of such reports so that you can always use them in case you need to file for a lawsuit. Ensure you get the correct names of the individuals involved or the facility. Describe what exactly happened in detail. Remember to give factual information only and avoid including personal opinions. Also, provide exact dates and periods to help you build a strong case. Be as brief as you can and use polite and simple language.
Maintain all the records including the supporting evidence you deliver to the appropriate authority. They may ask for extra details later during verification. Secure copies just in case someone loses a crucial document. If you file your complaint online, you may get a confirmation number. Save this notification and memorize the confirmation number. Keep a record of the people you communicate with regarding the matter as long as the investigation is ongoing.
Find out how the organization will let you know
Most organizations maintain formal procedures to notify you about the progress of your complaint. Try to find out how long the investigation will take and the mode of communication they will use. It could be through email or physical mail. Know if the organization will notify you about the outcome of the case.
