Health: Consumer Services and Healthcare Regulation: Report an incident regarding an acute care facility

Staff and personnel of acute care facilities licensed by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), including ambulatory surgery centers and hospitals, should submit incident reports online via the IDOH Gateway Incident Reporting System. Incident follow-up and/ or additional information regarding an incident is also submitted via the Incident Reporting System.

For information on medical error reporting, please visit the Medical Errors Reporting System webpage. To report a reasonable suspicion of a crime against a resident, please visit Reporting a reasonable suspicion of a crime against a resident.

Consumers needing to submit a complaint about a licensed healthcare facility or entity should visit Reporting a Complaint about a Health Care Facility.

Incident reporting when the online system is down

If the Incident Reporting System is not functioning, the following steps may be taken:

Complete the Incident Reporting Form and email it to: incidents@health.in.gov.
Within 24 hours of emailing the Incident Reporting Form, report the incident through the Incident Reporting System. Please include the date and time the Incident Reporting Form was emailed.
Reporting an incident via voicemail is available ONLY when the Incident Reporting System and email are not functioning.

Incident reporting secure voicemail line phone number: 317-233-7241
Please include:

Name and title of reporter
Name of facility
Address of facility
Type of incident
Description of injury
Name of resident(s)
Name of staff involved
Immediate action taken

Reporting Laws and Regulations

Ambulatory Surgery Center Rules and Regulations
State Rule: 410 IAC 15-2.2-1(d) (d)
(d) The center shall develop, implement, and maintain a written plan to address the internal review and reporting of unusual occurrences and disasters. The plan must cover, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Patient injuries or marked deterioration of patient condition occurring under unanticipated or unexpected circumstances.
2. Unexplained loss of or theft of a controlled substance.
3. Deaths occurring within the center.
Hospital Rules and Regulations
State Rule: 410 IAC 15-1.2-1(e)
(e) The hospital shall report the following incidents to the division:
1. Verbal reports within twenty-four (24) hours of occurrence on:
  - (A) murder, suicide, or kidnapping of patient occurring after admission;
  - (B) reportable infection outbreaks or food poisonings as required by federal, state, and local law; and
  - (C) a disruption, exceeding four (4) hours, in the continued safe operation of the hospital or in the provision of patient care, caused by internal or external disasters, strikes by health care workers, or unscheduled termination of vital services.
2. Written reports on occurrences listed in subdivision (1), if requested, shall be submitted to the division within a reasonable period of time and document all information required by the department, including, but not limited to, the following:
  - (A) An explanation of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
  - (B) Summaries of all findings, conclusions, and recommendations associated with the review of the incident.
  - (C) A summary of actions taken to resolve identified problems, to prevent recurrence of the incident, and to improve overall patient care.
3. This subsection does not replace other reporting requirements. Copies of these required reports will be acceptable in satisfying subdivision (2).

Contact

Indiana Department of Health Consumer Services & Health Care Regulation 2 N. Meridian St., 4B Indianapolis, IN 46204	Director, Complaint and Incident Reporting Program David Burgess complaints@health.in.gov
Long Term Care Receptionist: 317-233-7442 IDOH Main Switchboard: 317-233-1325	Phone: 1-800-246-8909 Fax: 317-233-7494

Page last updated: April 2023