Hospital Complaint Process
Patients and families at Fletcher Allen Health Care are encouraged to voice their concerns, complaints, suggestions for improvement or compliments to any personnel at any time during their stay or visit at Fletcher Allen Health Care. Upon admission, each patient receives a copy of the Patient Guide, which includes contact information for the Office of Patient & Family Advocacy. The Office of Patient & Family Advocacy, (802) 847-3500, assists patients and families with complaints and complaint resolution, in addition to other duties.
A copy of Fletcher Allen’s policy on the “Rights, Reasonable Expectations and Responsibilities of Patients and Families” can be found throughout the organization. The policy is displayed on the walls of patient clinics and in public areas. This policy contains contact information for the Office of Patient & Family Advocacy and a description of the patient’s rights and responsibilities, including issues of confidentiality, ethics, access to medical records, interpreter services, billing and other issues.
How to File a Complaint
Patients and families can voice a complaint by speaking with any staff member at the time service is delivered, or by contacting the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy, either in person, by telephone or in writing (via letter, fax or email).
To reach the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy:
By Mail:
Fletcher Allen Health Care
Office of Patient and Family Advocacy
111 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, Vt. 05401
By Email:
Patientandfamilyadvocacy@vtmednet.org
By Phone or Fax:
Phone: (802) 847-3500
Fax: (802) 847-0384
In Person:
Office of Patient and Family Advocacy
Level 3 Corridor, off of the West Pavilion in the Ambulatory Care Center
Fletcher Allen Health Care, 111 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, Vt.
Other channels for resolution of concerns and complaints:
The Division of Health Care Administration, Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, 89 Main St. Drawer 20, Montpelier, VT 05620-3101. Phone: 802-828-3301 or 1-800-631-7788 (Concerns about health care services you have received)
The Vermont Health Care Ombudsman, P.O. Box 1367, Burlington, Vt. 05401, (800) 917-7787 or the Vermont Board of Health, c/o Department of Aging and Disabilities, 103 South Main St., Waterbury, Vt. 05671-2301 (Concerns about health insurance)
The Vermont Department of Health and State Board of Health, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05402, Voice: (802) 863-7200.
The Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation: 26 Terrace Street, Montpelier, VT 05609-1101, (802) 828-2363 (Concerns about the quality of care provided by licensed professionals)
The Vermont Board of Medical Practice - Vermont Department of Health, P.O. Box 70, Burlington, Vermont 05402-0070, Telephone: (800) 745-7371 (Concerns about physicians)
The Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living - Division of Licensing Protection, 103 South Main Street, Ladd Hall, Waterbury, Vermont 05611-2306, Telephone- (802) 241-2345; Toll-free (in Vermont): (800) 564-1612 (To make a complaint against a facility or agency that provides health care services or to report abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult).
Northeast Health Care Quality Foundation, 15 Old Rollinsford Road – Suite 302, Dover, N.H., 03820 (603) 749-1641 (Concerns about the quality of care provided to Medicare consumers)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201. 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) (Concerns about the quality of care provided to Medicare consumers)
The Joint Commission: The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181.1-800-994-6610 (Concerns about the quality or safety of care)
What is the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy?
The primary mission of the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy is to provide the patient and family with a “voice” within a large, complex health care delivery system. Additionally, key accountabilities include:
--Serving as a primary organizational resource for assistance with complaint resolution for external and internal customers – i.e. patients, family members and visitors as well as employees of Fletcher Allen and community providers who serve on the Fletcher Allen Medical Staff.
--Providing an organizational resource for maintaining complaint data and actions taken as required for licensure and regulatory compliance.
--Assisting with service recovery and risk mitigation. Service recovery means restoring the confidence of the patient or family member following a negative experience.
--Assisting management in identifying patterns, trends and target areas for patient care improvement.
--Providing service recovery in all patient care settings (including both inpatient and outpatient areas), by recognizing concerns, listening and facilitating resolution of issues.
--Facilitating the formal grievance process.
Staff from the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy perform the following duties:
--Interact regularly with nursing staff, physicians, case managers, social workers and accounting to facilitate resolution of patient concerns.
--Coordinate family meetings in collaboration with identified staff in order to clarify issues in a non-threatening environment.
--Assume responsibility of tracking and logging all formal grievances posed to the organization from outside agencies and individual patients.
--Act as a mediator in claims management, as needed.
--Work collaboratively with Fletcher Allen’s Department of Clinical Ethics.
--Work with all departmental leaders to ensure patient and family concerns have been resolved and that system-related issues are forwarded to the James M. Jeffords Institute for Quality and Operational Effectiveness for further action.
The Complaint Process
Once a patient or family member contacts the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy, staff in the office will take immediate action to resolve the complaint. A staff person will investigate the complaint by gathering information and conducting whatever research is necessary. The complaint may be handled over the phone, or by a patient advocate going to see the patient or family member in person.
All complaints received by the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy are treated as legitimate and worthy of a response. Complaints may relate to an individual staff member, to the treatment received, or to any number of issues related to the patient or family member’s interaction with Fletcher Allen.
If a complaint is not able to be resolved, it becomes a grievance and is forwarded to the Grievance Committee. More often than not, the Office of Patient and Family Advocacy is able to resolve a complaint before it reaches this stage.
The goal is to respond to or resolve the complaint within 14 days. All complaints must be resolved within 30 days, absent exceptional circumstances.
Recording and Tracking Complaints
The Office of Patient and Family Advocacy maintains comprehensive records of all complaints and interventions/actions taken to resolve those complaints. The office has the ability to track patterns or trends that may emerge, and to identify specific areas in need of improvement. Patient concern reports are generated by the department and presented quarterly to the Quality Council, annually to the state for licensure requirement and “as needed” to specific units by location. The Quality Council is made up of senior leaders at Fletcher Allen Health Care.
