Addressing Patient Concerns, UHS Basics

University Health Service (UHS)

Addressing Patient Concerns

The University Health Service respects the right and responsibility of patients to express their concerns and grievances about the care and services they receive. It is the responsibility of staff to take these concerns seriously and to investigate and report back to the patient about concerns.

Whenever possible, patient complaints about the care or services received at UHS are addressed and resolved at the point of origin. Every UHS staff member is expected to take patient concerns seriously and to work on behalf of the patient to resolve the concerns. Patients with concerns and/or complaints that are not resolved at their point of origin are encouraged to speak with:

the staff member's supervisor or the manager of the area, or

the Associate Director for Administration, or

the Director of the University Health Service, or

the UHS Patient Advocate

Contacting The Joint Commission: Individuals with concerns about patient care and/or safety that cannot be resolved through the University Health Service are encouraged to contact The Joint Commission. The public may contact the Joint Commission’s Office of Quality Monitoring to report any concerns or register complaints about a Joint Commission accredited health care organization by calling 1-800-994-6610 or e-mailing complaint@jcaho.org. The University Health Service is accredited by the Joint Commission.

The Patient Advocate assists both patients and UHS staff in the following ways:

Responds to patient concerns and working to resolve them,

Reviews UHS practices and procedures and recommending changes,

Familiarizes patients with available choices regarding their care, and

Represents patients' interests in UHS management meetings.

The Patient Advocate shares the patients' perspectives and concerns in UHS leadership meetings and develops strategies for identifying and correcting problems that impact patients. Comment boxes provide patients with easy access to the UHS Patient Advocate. The Patient Advocate conducts patient satisfaction surveys and serves as the staff advisor for the University of Rochester Student Advisory Committee (URSHAC), which provides students with direct access to the Director throughout the academic year.

Addressing Your Concern

The Patient Advocate will look into your concern and collect as much relevant information as possible. This step will include speaking with the appropriate UHS managers and the Director of the Health Service. You do not need to identify yourself when you contact the Patient Advocate, or you may ask the Advocate not to identify you when she is investigating your concern. If the Advocate feels you need to be identified for the concern to be addressed, she will tell you and let you decide whether to proceed further. Once the review is completed, the Advocate will share the outcome and actions with you.

Contacting the UHS Patient Advocate

Patients are encouraged to contact the Patient Advocate with problems with the care or service received, with questions about UHS services, and with suggestions for improving UHS.

The Patient Advocate can be reached in any one of the following ways:

Call or write the Patient Advocate at 273-5770, ldudman@uhs.rochester.edu, or Patient Advocate, UHS, Box 270472, Rochester, NY 14627.

Meet with the Advocate. Please call first to arrange a convenient time to meet. If you are unable to come to her office on the River Campus, the Advocate can arrange to meet with you at the Medical Center or the Eastman School of Music.

Leave a comment in one of the UHS comment boxes.