Complaint Information for Complaints Related to Health Care
Who to Contact
Clinic complaintsPractitioner complaints
Hospital complaints
Home health agency complaints
Nursing home complaints
Health Plan complaints - HMOs, Insurance, Self insured
Health Plan complaints - Public programs with a health plan
Public programs with no health plan complaints
Medical records complaints
Complaints about clinics.
- Call the patient service representative at the clinic to see if a problem can be resolved.
Ask if there is a clinic manager if the clinic does not have a patient service representative. - Ask your health plan whether they take complaints regarding your issue.
- Is the complaint about a doctor or nurse? Although clinics are not regulated, the doctors and nurses who work at the clinics are licensed. You may be able to file a complaint with their licensing board. See below.
Complaints about practitioners.
- Acupuncturists
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Alcohol and drug counselors (LADCs)
Call the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy at (612) 617-2178. - Audiologists
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Athletic trainers
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Doctors
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Dentists
Call the Board of Dentistry at (612) 617-2250 or 1-888-240-4762. - Drug and alcohol counselors
Call the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy at (612) 617-2178. - Chiropractors
Call the Board of Chiropractic Examiners at (612) 201-2850. - Hearing aid audiologists
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Hearing therapists or clinicians
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Language therapists
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Licensed professional counselors (LPCs), Licensed professional clinical counselors (LPCCs)
Call the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy at (612) 617-2178. - Marriage and family therapists (MFTs)
Call the Board of Marriage and Family (612) 617-2220. - Midwives (traditional midwives)
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Nurses (RNs, LPNs), nurse midwives, nurse practitioners
Call the Board of Nursing at (612) 617-2270. - Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Optometrists
Call the Board of Optometry at (651) 201-2762. - Ophthalmologists
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Pharmacists
Call the Board of Pharmacy at (651) 201-2825 or 1-800-627-3529. - Physical therapists, physical therapist assistants
Call the Board of Physical Therapy at (612) 627-5406 - Physician assistants
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Podiatrists
Call Board of Podiatric Medicine (612) 548-2175 - Psychiatrists
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Psychologists
Call the Board of Psychology at (612) 617-2230. - Respiratory care practitioners
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Speech-language pathologists
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Speech therapists
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Traditional Midwives
Call the Board of Medical Practice at (612) 617-2130 or 1-800-657-3709. - Unlicensed Complementary and Alternative Health Care providers
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3728. - Voice pathologists
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - Voice therapists
Call the Health Occupations Program at the Minnesota Dept. of Health at 651-201-3729. - additional information
Complaints about hospitals.
- Call the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Facility and Provider Compliance complaint intake line at (651)201-4200. The Minnesota Department of Health licenses hospitals.
- For hospital billing complaints call the patient service representative at the hospital. The MDH Facility and Provider Compliance intake line does not take hospital billing complaints.
Complaints about home health care.
- To file a complaint about a home health care agency, call the Facility and Provider Compliance complaint intake line at (651) 201-4200.
Complaints about nursing homes.
- To file a complaint about a nursing home, call the Facility and Provider Compliance complaint intake line at (651) 201-4200. The Minnesota Department of Health licenses nursing homes.
VIEW COMPLAINTS about certain Minnesota facilities on the Facility and Provider Compliance section of the Minnesota Department of Health web site.
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Home care providers
- Home health agencies
- Hospice facilities and services
- Facilities that offer housing with services
- Supervised living facilities
The news release Health Facilities Investigation Reports Now Available On Line October 11, 2004 summarizes the type of information you can find there.
Complaints about Health Maintenance Organizations HMOs), Health Insurance Companies, and Self Insured Group Coverage.
- Call customer or member services. The phone number is usually listed on the back of your member card. They may be able to answer your questions or help resolve a problem. If not, you can file a written complaint with your health plan. If it is not decided in your favor, you can appeal it.
- Call the agency that regulates your health plan and file a complaint.
- For health maintenance organizations (HMOs), call the Minnesota Department of Health, Managed Care Systems section at (651) 201-5100 or 1-800-657-3916. Sometimes they can talk with the HMO and resolve your concern.
Sometimes you will need to complete a complaint form. The Managed Care Section can send you an HMO Complaint Form or you may print one from the Managed Care Systems web site and mail it in. If you prefer, in many cases they can complete the complaint form over the phone for you. The Managed Care Systems web site provides detailed information on the complaint process.
- For a health plan other than an HMO, call the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Market Assurance Division at (651) 296-2488 or 1-800-657-3602. Look on the back of your health card to see if these phone numbers are listed there.
- If you are in a non-government self-insured group, neither the Minnesota Department of Health nor the Minnesota Department of Commerce regulates these plans. In a self-funded or self-insured group, the employer sets up the plan and then pays the health claims for the employees. Often it will say on the back of your health card "this plan is that of the employer." For complaints contact the organization that takes care of employee claims. This number is usually on the back of your health card. You can also contact your employer. If you still need assistance, you can contact the Minnesota Attorney General’s office at (651) 296-3353 or 1-800-657-3787 and the U.S. Department of Labor at 1-866-444-3272 to see if they can assist you with your specific issue.
Complaints about your health plan if you are on a public program such as Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare and have an HMO health plan.
- Call your health plan. The customer or member services phone number is usually listed on the back of your member card. They may be able to answer your questions or help resolve a problem. You can file a written complaint with your health plan. If it is not decided in your favor, you can appeal it with the health plan, request a state fair hearing, or talk with the Ombudsman for State Managed Health Care.
- Call the Ombudsman for State Managed Health Care. They may be able to investigate the issue. They can help you with a health plan appeal. Call (651) 431-2660 or 1-800-657-3729. The phone line is answered 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Request a State Fair Hearing.
- For quality of care or access to services issues, you may be able to file a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Health, Managed Care Systems section at 651) 201-5176 or 1-800-657-3916. You can do this at the same time you file a complaint with the health plan.
Please see the following publications for information about the complaint process.
Also see information about the Ombudsman for State Managed Health Care office, what assistance they can provide, and information on the grievance and appeal process.
Complaints if you are on a public program such as Medical Assistance and do not have an HMO health plan
- Call the Minnesota Health Care Program Medical Assistance Help Desk at (651) 431-2670 or 1-800-657-3739.
Complaints about medical records.
Depending on the type of complaint you have, you may need to contact:
- a licensing board or agency
- an attorney
- the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Chicago, IL
For example, if a doctor violates the Minnesota Health Records Act, contact the Board of Medical Practice, the doctor's licensing board.
If a nurse violates the statutes, contact the Board of Nursing, the nurse's licensing board.
For who to contact regarding complaints about some other practitioners see "Complaints about Practitioners" above.
Two examples of violations:
- provider not providing you access to your medical records
- provider releasing your records without your authorization
The Penalties section of the Minnesota Health Records Act, Minnesota Statute 144.298, states what the penalties can be and what your options are if there is a violation of the Minnesota Health Records Act.
The Minnesota Health Records Act is in Minnesota Statutes 144.291-144.298. These statutes tell what rights a patient has regarding their health record (medical record).
144.291 Minnesota Health Records Act, Definitions of some terms used in this section
144.292 Patients' rights, access to their medical records, copying charges
144.293 Release or disclosure of health records
144.294 Records relating to mental health
144.295 Disclosure of health records for external research
144.296 Copies of videotapes
144.297 Independent medical examinations
144.298 Penalties
(Note that Minnesota Statute 144.335, Access to Health Records, was recodified (moved) into Minnesota Statutes 144.291-144.298 in 2006. This section of the law is sometimes referred to as the Minnesota Health Records Act.)
Complaints involving the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule
Contact the Office for Civil Rights, in Chicago, IL. They investigate violations. Call 312-886-2359, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. The Office is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Ask questions about the HIPAA privacy rule
- File complaints by phone
- File complaints on the web
Also see:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web site.
Frequently Asked Questions
