Everyone makes mistakes, including healthcare providers in New York and around the country. Not all mistakes result in serious medical errors. However, you should inform your medical provider when something is amiss to prevent problems from mounting. Lodging a complaint against a medical provider can help keep future problems from occurring.
Where do I lodge my complaint?
Before you do anything, decide which person or organization should receive the complaint. Not all errors lead to medical malpractice, but to whom you submit your complaint depends on the problem involved and whether you feel it was intentional. For some situations, you may only need to contact your health provider or someone within the organization to file your grievance and remedy the situation. Among the issues you can bring up with your medical provider and staff are errors in billing codes and mistakes in your medical record. Generally, providers will do everything they can to correct these mistakes to your satisfaction.
At other times, you will need to your complaint to an outside authority. These situations include:
- Any type of discrimination
- Illegal or unethical billing practices
- Your provider was sexually inappropriate or abusive
- A medical error resulted in personal injury, hospitalization, disability, diminished quality of life or death
What if my issue goes beyond a simple complaint?
Sometimes, filing a complaint with the appropriate party or organization will be enough to prevent future errors from occurring. At other times, the medical provider may have a culture of substandard service that will eventually result in a lawsuit.
If you or a loved one have suffered due to a provider’s negligence, you have the right to seek damages. The compensation you receive from a successful claim may go toward medical expenses and other losses that you incurred.