- Email: [email protected]
Concerns and complaints
Ask the CAMTS
Eileen Frazer
Concerns and Complaints As more medical transport services achieve accreditation, the number of concerns or complaints received by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems office also increases. Anonymous complaints are especially disturbing because the CAMTS office has no way to follow-up with the complainant. As of the April 2001 board meeting, the CAMTS board of directors made the following revisions to its policy on concerns and complaints: 1. CAMTS no longer will accept anonymous complaints. The complainant must sign the complaint/concern report form, which may be requested from the office. 2. CAMTS is not a regulatory agency. Patient care or safety issues involving local, state, or federal regulations should be reported to the appropriate authority by the complainant. 3. The CAMTS office will acknowledge receipt of the complainant, but any actions taken will be at the board’s discretion, and no further follow-up will be sent to the complainant. 4. If the CAMTS executive board decides to take further action, the executive director will notify the director of the accredited medical transport service in question. The identity of the complainant will not be revealed.
July-August 2001
5. Input from the medical transport service will be documented and included in a report to the board of directors, along with the confidential report for discussion and action at the next board meeting. If taking action before the next board meeting is necessary, the executive board will conduct a conference call to decide on an appropriate action. 6. Based on the board’s discussion, one or more of the following courses of action may occur, depending on the findings and seriousness of the issue: • Progress report from the medical transport service within a specified time frame • Monitoring visit (unannounced) if the program is applying for accreditation for the first time • Accreditation suspended until further action can be determined Eileen Frazer is the CAMTS executive director. She can be reached at P.O. Box 1305, Anderson, SC 29625; (864) 287-4177; fax (864) 2874251; E-mail [email protected]. doi:10.1067/mmj.2001.116995
7
Eileen Frazer
Concerns and Complaints As more medical transport services achieve accreditation, the number of concerns or complaints received by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems office also increases. Anonymous complaints are especially disturbing because the CAMTS office has no way to follow-up with the complainant. As of the April 2001 board meeting, the CAMTS board of directors made the following revisions to its policy on concerns and complaints: 1. CAMTS no longer will accept anonymous complaints. The complainant must sign the complaint/concern report form, which may be requested from the office. 2. CAMTS is not a regulatory agency. Patient care or safety issues involving local, state, or federal regulations should be reported to the appropriate authority by the complainant. 3. The CAMTS office will acknowledge receipt of the complainant, but any actions taken will be at the board’s discretion, and no further follow-up will be sent to the complainant. 4. If the CAMTS executive board decides to take further action, the executive director will notify the director of the accredited medical transport service in question. The identity of the complainant will not be revealed.
July-August 2001
5. Input from the medical transport service will be documented and included in a report to the board of directors, along with the confidential report for discussion and action at the next board meeting. If taking action before the next board meeting is necessary, the executive board will conduct a conference call to decide on an appropriate action. 6. Based on the board’s discussion, one or more of the following courses of action may occur, depending on the findings and seriousness of the issue: • Progress report from the medical transport service within a specified time frame • Monitoring visit (unannounced) if the program is applying for accreditation for the first time • Accreditation suspended until further action can be determined Eileen Frazer is the CAMTS executive director. She can be reached at P.O. Box 1305, Anderson, SC 29625; (864) 287-4177; fax (864) 2874251; E-mail [email protected]. doi:10.1067/mmj.2001.116995
7