The hospital wasn't clean, or your meds were consistently screwed up? The place just isn't safe? Get mad! Complain! Here's how:

 

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If you're in a Joint Commission-accredited hospital (another reason to choose one), voice your grievance (anonymously, if you prefer) by calling the Joint Commission's Complaint Line at 800-994-6610 (weekdays, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm central time). Or describe the problem in no more than two pages and e-mail it to complaint@jcaho.org. You can also find the form at www.jointcommission.org; click on "General Public," then click on "Go to Report a Complaint." You can fill it out online or print it out and mail it to the address given on the Web site. Make sure you include all the identifying information about the health care organization (name, full address, city, and state).

 

If the patient is still in the offending hospital, or you're an employee there, don't worry about retaliation, because it's kept strictly confidential (honestly). What can't the Joint Commission help you with? Billing issues or disputes, insurance issues, personnel concerns, and anything at all at an unaccredited facility. Call if you're in doubt.

 

Excerpted from YOU: The Smart Patient: An Insider's Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment, by permission of Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

 

 

About Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Mehmet C. Oz, MD

With the success of The New York Times Bestsellers, YOU: On a Diet, YOU: The Owner's Manual, YOU: Staying Young and YOU: Being Beautiful, Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Mehmet C. Oz, MD (a regular guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show) authored YOU: The Smart Patient, in conjunction with The Joint Commission, the nation's largest accreditor of healthcare organizations. The authors teamed with The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources (JCR)—the not-for-profit publishing, consulting and educational affiliate of The Joint Commission—to develop the book.