When a complaint is lodged against you by a patient, it’s likely that you might have a stressful experience. In any healthcare setting, complaints are expected; how you handle them is what reflects your practice.
Complaints in the health sector can depict different situations, and how your response is handled entirely depends on the facts tabled in the case. Nevertheless, as a self-regulated health professional, you can take a few preliminary steps with the help of a health law lawyer at the start of the complaint-handling process.
If you decide to proceed and submit your response without legal counsel, it must be accurate, professional, and respectful. A poorly thought-out response can have a snowball effect.
Steps in handling a healthcare complaint lodged against you
Consult with a legal counsel
Being an integral part of promoting quality healthcare provision, dealing with health-related complaints is crucial for professional growth. However, it can be at times hard and complicated to navigate through the process of handling patients’ complaints. As such, it is advisable to consult with a healthcare attorney prior to submitting a response. Regardless of how small a complaint seems to be, consult a lawyer at the Law Offices of Gary L. Rotkop as soon as you receive the complaint.
Most importantly, provide your lawyer with your version of events in a straightforward and honest manner. For the healthcare lawyer to defend you in the best possible position, you need to provide as much information. This includes disclosing any other complaints that may have been lodged against you.
Gather materials
Compile materials that will bolster your response. Provide documentation that will corroborate with facts when making factual statements in your response. For instance, the incident may have been documented when it happened; and if a patient has alleged an incident occurred on a particular date, ensure you have proof that you were in a different place on that date. Aside from the professional obligation of keeping proper records, accurately and diligently keeping records is important in your practice.
Finally, it’s important to maintain your professionalism. Act with utmost integrity and honesty, and apply this when responding to complaints.
