Reporting a Complaint

The Health Care Facility Complaint Program receives and processes complaints and concerns for facilities and entities licensed and regulated by the Indiana Department of Health.

How to file a complaint

If you have a question or concern that a licensed health care facility or entity has violated a regulation, a complaint may be submitted by:

Website

To submit a complaint using the online complaint form, go to Online Complaint Submission form.

Long-term Care Ombudsman can use this form to submit concerns on behalf of their clients: Ombudsman Complaint Intake Form.

Phone

Toll-free Complaint Report Line: 1-800-246-8909 (available during state business hours). Please leave a brief message regarding your concerns along with your name and phone number on the secure voicemail line.

All complaints are kept confidential. Under state law, the IDOH does not identify or release the name of the individual submitting the complaint. During the complaint investigation, all precautions will be taken to protect the identity of the complainant and any patient, resident or client who is the subject of the care issue.

What information is required to submit a complaint?

A trained IDOH Complaint Department staff member will guide you through the process of submitting a complaint by asking a series of questions. You do not have to have all the answers to submit your complaint. You will, at a minimum, need to know the name of the facility or entity and the address, including city or town, where the licensed healthcare facility or entity is located.

Additional information that may be helpful when submitting your complaint includes, but is not limited to:

• Name of any resident, patient or client affected
• Name of staff member or facility/ entity personnel involved
• Date and/or time of the alleged incident
• A brief description of your concern (what happened that lead you to contact the IDOH)

After a complaint is submitted

Within 7-10 business days of submitting the complaint with your address, you will receive a letter to verify your complaint was received.

After the complaint investigation is initiated, a state surveyor will enter the facility or entity unannounced. Facilities and entities are not notified when a complaint investigation will take place.

During the investigation, a surveyor may attempt to contact you to gather additional information. After the investigation has been completed, you will be informed, through the mail, of the complaint investigation findings. Investigation reports are not provided electronically.

Contact