By Cheryl Powell

Apr. 22, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
Losing patience with the quality of patient care you or a loved one is getting from a hospital?

There are several places to turn for help, but the best place to start typically is with the hospital itself, said Jennifer Bitterman, director of review services for Ohio KePRO Inc.

The firm, based in Seven Hills, is under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to serve as the "quality improvement organization" for consumers in Ohio. In that role, Ohio KePRO handles complaints involving patients who are covered by Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and for some younger
disabled Americans.

Bitterman recommends that patients or their family try to address concerns during the hospital stay, rather than waiting until the patient is discharged.

"The first step is to encourage the patients to talk to the people providing the care at the time, whether it be a nurse, a social worker, a physician," she said. "If they have a concern about any of the care they're receiving, they should talk to those people."

The next step is to ask to talk to the hospital's complaint department, often called the "patient relations department" or the "patient ombudsman program," she said. Every hospital is required to have a program to hear and address patient concerns.

Other options

If concerns still aren't resolved -- or if people simply don't feel comfortable complaining to the hospital -- they can contact Ohio KePRO for issues involving Medicare patients, she said.

Concerns about quality of care can be reported from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling 800-589-7337. (Patients who feel they are being discharged too soon can call seven days a week.)

Ohio KePRO contacts the hospital and works with it to address the patient's concerns, as well as to determine whether steps are needed to prevent similar issues in the future, Bitterman said.

"We can intervene and help if the facility didn't act quickly or appropriately," she said. "We handle it as quickly as possible."

For patients who are covered by private insurance plans, Bitterman suggested that they call their insurers, which should have a program to investigate complaints.

Agencies on call

According to the Ohio Hospital Association, these are some other agencies that handle consumer complaints about the quality of hospital care:

--The Ohio Department of Health investigates complaints about hospitals statewide.

Complaints can be mailed to the Ohio Department of Health, PCSU, 246 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43215.

--The Joint Commission, an accrediting body for hospitals nationwide, investigates complaints submitted either with a person's name or anonymously.

Contact the Joint Commission's complaint line at 800-994-6610 between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Complaints also can be submitted via e-mail to complaint@jointcommission.org, fax at 630-792-5623 or mail at the Office of Quality Monitoring, Joint Commission, 1 Renaissance Blvd., Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181.

--The State Medical Board of Ohio investigates complaints about doctors, physician assistants and other licensed medical practitioners.

For information, go to http://med.ohio.gov/ or call 614-466-3934.

--The Ohio Board of Nursing, the licensing body for nurses, investigates allegations of misconduct by nurses. (Complaints about a facility are not handled by the board.)

Complaint forms can be obtained by visiting http://www.nursing.ohio.gov or calling 614-466-9558.

--The Ohio Hospital Association, a trade organization for hospitals, does not investigate complaints but can refer patients to the appropriate patient representative. The group also forwards letters about reported situations to the hospital's chief executive.

Send letters to Mary Yost, vice president of public affairs, c/o Donna Dugas, Ohio Hospital Association, 155 E. Broad St., Floor 15, Columbus, OH 43215.

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com.

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