Hospitals respond to patient complaints

Michelle Swafford

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004 | 10:58 a.m.

The Las Vegas Valley's acute-care hospitals generate their share of complaints each year, and hospitals say they are responding in a variety of ways to make patients happier.

The Nevada Bureau of Licensure and Certification collects patients' complaints and investigates each one to determine whether hospitals erred in some way. In 2004, the Las Vegas Valley's 11 acute hospitals generated 159 complaints from Jan. 1 to Nov. 12, compared with 125 complaints for all of 2003 and 140 for all of 2001.

"For the volume, they are fairly low numbers of complaints," said Lisa Jones, a health facilities surveyor for the bureau. She said complaints tend to be slightly higher in hospitals that have more hospital beds.

"We take each complaint seriously, and give it a thorough review," Jones said. "Each complaint is investigated by the bureau."

Complaints range from rude hospital workers and long waits to bad food and dirty rooms, Jones said. Complaints against physicians are referred to the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses physicians, and billing-related complaints are handled by the Governor's Office on Consumer Affairs, she said.

HCA Inc.-owned MountainView Hospital two years ago installed an Internet-based complaint system that accepts comments from patients, employees and physicians. There is a link on the hospital's Web site that allows people to share compliments and complaints anonymously if they choose. The comments are then e-mailed to the appropriate department director and the hospital tracks the process to make sure every comment is addressed, which generally occurs within 48 hours, hospital spokesman Rick Plummer said.

For those who want to file their complaint while they are in the hospital, comment forms are available, he added.

MountainView had 13 complaints from Jan. 1 to Nov. 12, which is up from 11 in 2003 and seven in 2002, according to the Nevada Bureau of Licensure and Certification.

"One complaint is one too many," Plummer said. "One of our biggest complaints is because we are overcrowded. That's probably our biggest patient dissatisfaction"

To make sure that patients know MountainView takes comments seriously, stickers are placed on patients' morning newspapers and their hospital room mirrors that say, "We want to make sure you are VERY SATISFIED with your stay. Please contact 255-5065 with any questions, compliments, or concerns. Are You Very Satisfied?"

"We really try -- from the time they get here to the time they leave -- to make sure that their stay is a good one," Plummer said, adding that MountainView CEO Mark Howard has been known to give out his home number to patients.

HCA, which also owns Sunrise and Southern Hills hospitals in Las Vegas, participates in Gallup Poll surveys that ask patients about their hospital experiences.

"We track those monthly to make sure we're doing the right thing," Plummer said. "We know it's not a fun place to be, but hopefully when you walk out the door you feel better than when you walked in."

Valley Hospital, which is owned by Universal Health Services Inc., has a patient advocate who walks throughout the hospital during the week to address patients' concerns, Valley Hospital spokeswoman Gretchen Papez said.

The hospital also relies on Gallup surveys that assess patients' satisfaction, she said.

Valley's chief nurse executive, chief operating officer or chief executive respond to all written comments and a grievance committee meets quarterly to review hospital complaints, she said.

Also, employees are required to attend a four-hour customer service training class and they must write annual goals that could improve customer service, Papez said.

Valley's sister hospitals, Desert Springs, Summerlin, and Spring Valley hospitals, have similar programs, Valley Health System spokesman Mike Tymczyn said.

Catholic Healthcare West-owned St. Rose Dominican Hospitals has a person who processes all compliments and complaints for its two hospitals.

Sylvia Beardsley, guest relations' representative for St. Rose's Siena and Rose de Lima campuses, is responsible for addressing the concerns on each comment card and visiting with patients to make sure they are satisfied with their hospital experience.

The Nevada Bureau of Licensure reported that St. Rose Dominican Hospitals - Rose de Lima Campus had four complaints from Jan. 1 to Nov. 12, compared with two complaints in 2003 and six in 2002. The Siena Campus had nine complaints from Jan. 1 to Nov. 12, compared with 12 complaints in 2003 and eight in 2002.

In 2002, St. Rose created Beardsley's position along with comment cards that are available in English and Spanish throughout the hospitals.

"Anything that is a concern we try to react to immediately because patient satisfaction is our number one goal," Beardsley said, adding that children's concerns are also addressed.

Hospital officials meet monthly to discuss patients' concerns and create plans for common issues, she said.

Clark County-owned University Medical Center had 27 complaints from Jan. 1 to Nov. 12, compared with 22 complaints in 2003 and 28 in 2002, according to the Nevada Bureau of Licensure.

University Medical Center has a few patient advocates who address patients' concerns, hospital spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said.

"When the patients have concerns they can contact a patient advocate to listen to the concerns and research those concerns," she said. "Patient advocates act as a liaison to get the patients in touch with the right person."

If patients feel that Las Vegas Valley hospitals are not addressing their concerns, they can contact the Nevada Bureau of Licensure for recourse.

"If anyone feels part of their care was inadequate, then they should feel free to contact us and let us know their concerns," Jones said. "We take complaints in writing (and) over the phone. We'll take them anonymously, but if we're looking at patient care we need to know the patient's name."

The complainant's name is not released to hospitals and the surveyor attempts to maintain privacy by asking for a sample of patients' records rather than one in particular, she said.

The Bureau of Licensure tracks each complaint and conducts unannounced hospital investigations, Jones said, adding that if problems are found the hospital has 10 days to submit a correction.

Severe punishments are not common, but can include monitoring by the bureau, a fine of up to $1,000 per state and federal violation or a suspended or revoked license, Jones said.