Notice to patients about filing complaints in california

[the5thelement]

The county i am working says that their is a new mandate which requires them to tell each and every patient they
can file complaints against their doctor. They started doing this today. There are plenty of disgruntled patients who
get upset when they dont get what they demand. I wonder how this will affect the quality of my work life going forward.

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[splik]

This is not new. This has been the case for many years. Even the jails and prisons have the signs up informing inmates they can call the medical board to complain. It has been recently updated so that you now provide the QR code and email. If you are employed, you don't have to do anything, they just have to have the info sent to patients and displayed in the waiting room (which they should already have it is just updated to include the QR code and email address). If you are in private practice I just have the info on my website. Also, to my knowledge, there is no penalty with not complying with this longstanding requirement. Conversely, you can be cited for unprofessional conduct if you fail to provide patients with info so they can see if you take drug company money.

 

[WisNeuro]

Standard in some states. I have to provide this info in my informed consent form.

 

[clozareal]

This is not new. This has been the case for many years. Even the jails and prisons have the signs up informing inmates they can call the medical board to complain. It has been recently updated so that you now provide the QR code and email. If you are employed, you don't have to do anything, they just have to have the info sent to patients and displayed in the waiting room (which they should already have it is just updated to include the QR code and email address). If you are in private practice I just have the info on my website. Also, to my knowledge, there is no penalty with not complying with this longstanding requirement. Conversely, you can be cited for unprofessional conduct if you fail to provide patients with info so they can see if you take drug company money.

Luminello just added a form with a QR code to send to patients to sign so I’ve been doing that.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Sign in my office and in my policies since my practice started.

In roughly 9 years, I’ve had 1 board complaint that was quickly dismissed. Same person has reported many other specialties.

 

[annoyedpsychiatrist]

Wow, ive never heard of this. This is the most absurd idea. I wonder which idiot writes these laws.

 

[WisNeuro]

Are people really worried about this? This has been the SOP for years in many states, and I am not aware of it changing anything in relation to amount of complaints or board actions. There are much better things to get worked up over that actually impact many providers (e.g., cuts in RVU conversion factor by CMS).

 

[PikminOC]

Are people really worried about this? This has been the SOP for years in many states, and I am not aware of it changing anything in relation to amount of complaints or board actions. There are much better things to get worked up over that actually impact many providers (e.g., cuts in RVU conversion factor by CMS).

Yes it's annoying. People don't get their drug of choice and complain. It takes time to send the chart and prepare responses.

 

[WisNeuro]

Yes it's annoying. People don't get their drug of choice and complain. It takes time to send the chart and prepare responses.

Can you show me any data in which states that have these rules in place receive more complaints/board actions than those that do not?

 

[PikminOC]

Can you show me any data in which states that have these rules in place receive more complaints/board actions than those that do not?

Can you show me data it's not true?

 

[WisNeuro]

Can you show me data it's not true?

You are the one asserting that there is an issue or change here. The onus of proof resides solely with you on this matter.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Can you show me any data in which states that have these rules in place receive more complaints/board actions than those that do not?

I mean whether it does or doesn't i think it's pretty ****ty that physicians have to literally post this with a QR code in their office but NPs don't.

Also, burying this in your informed consent form someone signs once when they first see you is a lot different than posting it in your waiting room with a QR code patients can scan every time they show up and are angry at you for not giving them benzos.

We won't have any data about it (and that's assuming it would ever be publicly available) for a while. Is there any data that this stupid rule is useful for literally anything?

 

[WisNeuro]

I mean whether it does or doesn't i think it's pretty ****ty that physicians have to literally post this with a QR code in their office but NPs don't.

Also, burying this in your informed consent form someone signs once when they first see you is a lot different than posting it in your waiting room with a QR code patients can scan every time they show up and are angry at you for not giving them benzos.

We won't have any data about it (and that's assuming it would ever be publicly available) for a while. Is there any data that this stupid rule is useful for literally anything?

In the QR code example, it seems that it can just be included on a website. Also, I don't see any difference in that than in just including the same info in an informed consent that I explicitly state to the patient and give them a copy of before they leave. I just doubt that informing patients of their rights, as most providers are already doing, will make any appreciable change in frivolous complaints.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

In the QR code example, it seems that it can just be included on a website. Also, I don't see any difference in that than in just including the same info in an informed consent that I explicitly state to the patient and give them a copy of before they leave. I just doubt that informing patients of their rights, as most providers are already doing, will make any appreciable change in frivolous complaints.

Actually looks like you're kind of right, it's not clear that it can just be included in a website but one of the options is just to have the patient sign it as part of intake paperwork and keep a copy in their medical record.

Physicians may comply with this requirement by doing one of the following:

1. Post the notice in an area visible to patients on the premises where the physician provides the licensed services in at least 38-point type in Arial font;
2. Include the notice and an acknowledgement of receipt and understanding in a written statement in a language understood by the patient or patient representative, signed and dated by the patient or the patient representative and retained in that patient's medical records (the notice and acknowledgement of receipt and understanding may be provided and maintained in an electronic format); or
3. Include the notice in a language understood by the patient or patient representative in a statement on letterhead, discharge instructions, or other document given to a patient or the patient representative, where the notice is placed immediately above the signature line for the patient in at least 14-point type.

 

[WisNeuro]

Actually looks like you're kind of right, it's not clear that it can just be included in a website but one of the options is just to have the patient sign it as part of intake paperwork and keep a copy in their medical record.

Physicians may comply with this requirement by doing one of the following:

1. Post the notice in an area visible to patients on the premises where the physician provides the licensed services in at least 38-point type in Arial font;
2. Include the notice and an acknowledgement of receipt and understanding in a written statement in a language understood by the patient or patient representative, signed and dated by the patient or the patient representative and retained in that patient's medical records (the notice and acknowledgement of receipt and understanding may be provided and maintained in an electronic format); or
3. Include the notice in a language understood by the patient or patient representative in a statement on letterhead, discharge instructions, or other document given to a patient or the patient representative, where the notice is placed immediately above the signature line for the patient in at least 14-point type.

This appears no different than the rules in any of the states that I am licensed. Is this something that you are actually worried about?

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

This appears no different than the rules in any of the states that I am licensed. Is this something that you are actually worried about?

I'm not in california but still think it would be dumb if the only way to comply with this was to post a sign in your waiting room with a QR code informing them they can file complaints about you by scanning this QR code.

 

[WisNeuro]

I'm not in california but still think it would be dumb if the only way to comply with this was to post a sign in your waiting room with a QR code informing them they can file complaints about you by scanning this QR code.

I get that, I doubt it would move the needle in number of complaints still. We have to post the "Patient Bill of Rights" in our waiting rooms and in the consent, which includes contact info for our Board. Still not a problem. I regularly read through our board actions, and no one is getting any actions for minor stuff. 99.9% of the time, people screwed up in a way that even trainees would understand is wrong. Complaints happen now and then, but they're still pretty rare, and usually quickly dismissed after a phone call.

 

[PikminOC]

You are the one asserting that there is an issue or change here. The onus of proof resides solely with you on this matter.

I didn't say that at all. All I said is that it's annoying to have to respond to the complaints.

 

[PikminOC]

I get that, I doubt it would move the needle in number of complaints still. We have to post the "Patient Bill of Rights" in our waiting rooms and in the consent, which includes contact info for our Board. Still not a problem. I regularly read through our board actions, and no one is getting any actions for minor stuff. 99.9% of the time, people screwed up in a way that even trainees would understand is wrong. Complaints happen now and then, but they're still pretty rare, and usually quickly dismissed after a phone call.

That's not the way it is in my states for the medical board. And even one more complaint due to this notice is more than before.
Physicians have to send the patient records and write out their responses.

The other boards I have dealt with with are much more lax with complaints

 

[WisNeuro]

That's not the way it is in my states for the medical board. And even one more complaint due to this notice is more than before.
Physicians have to send the patient records and write out their responses.

The other boards I have dealt with with are much more lax with complaints

Yes, you have to respond to substantive complaints, of which this would likely do nothing.