Our Collective Wisdom
| Preventing and Reporting Errors in Your Care (Mile High Sleeper) (CPAP Safety) |
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| Many Durable Medical Equipment (DME) or Home Medical Equipment companies, especially large national DMEs and hospitals in the US, and some international healthcare organizations, are evaluated and accredited by The Joint Commission, http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/ (The organization was formerly known as JCAHO, pronounced “Jayco”, the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.) Patient safety resources “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The Joint Commission offers free online pamphlets, Speak Up: Help Prevent Errors in Your Care, and Speak Up: Know Your Rights http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/SpeakUp/speak_up_general.htm A useful book is You: The Smart Patientby Dr. Mike Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/smart_patient.htm Reporting a legitimate complaint Do I have a moral obligation to report this poor treatment? “Right is might.” 1. To your doctor Your doctor is managing your care from a medical perspective. If your complaint is about poor treatment that has or could affect your health or other patients, for example, the respiratory therapist making a prescription error in setting up your CPAP machine, consider informing your doctor. He/she may not take action, but may advise you about possible actions you could take. 2. To The Joint Commission If you receive substandard quality of treatment care from a DME (or hospital), the problem is twofold: what happened to you, and possible harm to other patients if you don’t report it and the problem goes unacknowledged and uncorrected by the DME. Consider fining a complaint with The Joint Commission, which uses information to strengthen its oversight of DMEs and improve the quality of care. Although you may remain anonymous, it may be more responsible to give your name. For information about the complaint process, see http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/Complaint/oqm.htm The Joint Commission considers various levels of complaints from high to low priority and responds according to how serious they are. For a list of types of complaints, see http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/Complaint/qi_review_criteria.htm For information and to report a complaint online, go to http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/Complaint/default.htm E-Mail: complaint@jointcommission.org Fax: Office of Quality Monitoring (630) 792-5636 Mail: Office of Quality Monitoring, The Joint Commission One Renaissance Boulevard Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 If you have questions about how to file your complaint, you may contact the Joint Commission at this toll free U.S. telephone number, 8:30 to 5 p.m., Central Time, weekdays. (800) 994-6610 3. To the DME Working directly with the DME is the most important action. Find out a little about the DME’s organizational structure or chain of command by asking them how they are structured. Then set up a face-to-face meeting with the DME, phone, or email or write. Work above the organizational level at which the problem occurred, and go up the chain of command if you think it’s useful, in talks or by copying others in correspondence. For example, if the problem occurred with the respiratory therapist, talk to the lead RT/supervisor and branch manager or regional manager. If the problem occurred in customer service, talk with the customer service manager. If the problem is serious and appears to be organization-wide, such as a lack of quality and safety procedures potentially resulting in harm to the patient, write to the president and copy the regional manager. Be courteous, professional, assertive, factual rather than accusatory, and document your facts. Provide details and evidence from your notes, software reports, prescription, orders, or billing about what happened when, with whom. Tell them the consequences of their error; actual consequences that you experienced, or potential consequences or harm to yourself and other patients if the problem continues. Let the DME know you informed your doctor and filed a complaint with The Joint Commission. Ask the DME to respond to you about what corrective action they plan to take, with you and to prevent the same problem happening with other patients, locally, regionally, and in the organization as a whole. Let them know you will relay the follow-up information to your doctor and insurance company. 4. To your insurance company The DME contracts with and is paid by your insurance company. Consider using the insurance company’s complaint process to report the DME. Be a champion for good. Each voice counts, whether or not we see immediate results. Source: Based on personal experience with obstructive sleep apnea. Want more? See the peer coaching articles Diary of Two Hoseheads, CPAP and Surgery and Everyday CPAP Safety at http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com Search http://www.cpaptalk.com or post a message there. Not written by healthcare professionals. The information and opinions offered are not intended or recommended as a substitute for professional medical advice. © Mile High Sleeper, May 2006-2008. Permission to use for free educational purposes. |
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