Massachusetts General Hospital

Complaint Process

You, your family, your significant other or your guardian have the right to tell us when something is wrong. This is called presenting a complaint. If you present a complaint your care will not be affected in any way. If you send a complaint by fax, e-mail or written letter, OPA will acknowledge your communication within two business days.

When contacting the Office of Patient Advocacy, please be ready to share the following information:

• The nature of your complaint
• Your medical record number
• The name(s) of the person(s) involved
• The department in which the problem occurred
• The date on which the problem occurred
• Your ideas about how you would like us to help

Our Investigation Will Include:

• Asking your permission to start the investigation in circumstances where someone else is calling on your behalf.
• Talking with you and/or your family so that we know your concerns
• Contacting and talking with the person(s) named in your complaint
• Reviewing all appropriate documents, including your medical record, if necessary
• Collaborating with you on a possible resolution

What to Expect from the Process:

A representative from OPA will contact you, review your complaint, and make every effort to resolve your concerns at that time. If your complaint cannot be resolved in a timely manner it will become a grievance. OPA will review and resolve the grievance within 10 business days. If other departments are involved in the review, every effort will be made to resolve the issue within 30 days. An OPA representative will communicate with you if there is no resolution within the above time frames. A letter will be sent to you with the resolution. A letter will be sent to you that will include the name of the hospital contact, steps taken for the review, results of the review, and the completion date.