Complaints - Health Care Facilities and Nursing Homes

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH), Division of Quality Assurance, Provider and Consumer Services Unit (PCSU) maintains a centralized contact point and a coordinated information source regarding allegations submitted to the PCSU involving all Medicare/Medicaid providers/suppliers under the jurisdiction of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, federal laws and state-licensed facilities under the jurisdiction of Ohio state laws.

Includes:

• Nursing homes, skilled nursing and nursing facilities.
• Hospitals.
• Residential homes, adult group homes, home for the aging, intermediate care facilities for mentally retarded homes, unlicensed homes, county homes, rest homes.
• Home health agencies, hospice agencies, renal dialysis centers , in-patient rehabilitation centers, ambulatory surgical centers, birthing centers, rural health clinics, free-standing radiation therapy centers, mobile diagnostic imaging centers,  X-rays.
• Solid organ transplant services, bone marrow/stem cell transplantation services.
• Adult and pediatric cardiac catheterization services, adult pediatric open heart surgery services and pediatric intensive care services, obstetrics/newborn units.
• Clinical laboratories, and plasmapheresis centers.
• Any other federally certified or ODH-licensed health care service or treatment provider.

PCSU utilizes a computer program that provides an effective method of processing complaints received from the initial contact through intake and investigation to close out and strives to ensure a safe environment and a high quality of care are provided to those beneficiaries, residents and clients using regulated health care facilities or agencies. It assures participating health care providers continually meet Medicare/Medicaid and state requirements by referring all complaints to the appropriate ODH district offices or to other state agencies for investigation.  Complaint investigation is unannounced and the identity of the complainant is never divulged.

All complaints are investigated by using the survey process of that specific provider type. The complaint survey is a partial survey of the specific nature of the complaint as it relates to the federal regulations and/or the state rules and regulations. The division has five district offices throughout Ohio that maintain staff for the actual investigation. Complaint investigation is unannounced and the identity of the complainant is never divulged.

Complaints can be submitted to ODH using the following methods:

Mailing Address:
Ohio Department of Health
PCSU
246 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Telephone:
1-800-342-0553 (For Ohio Residents Only)
1-800-669-3534 Health Care Safety 
(614) 644-7726 or (614) 644-0256 
Live Call Coverage: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

TDD: (614)752-6490

Fax: (614)728-9169

E-mail: HCComplaints@odh.ohio.gov

Last Updated: 5/29/07