Complaint Intake is one of the services provided as part of the regulatory process of Health Service Regulation. Activities include:
- Receiving oral and written complaints about health care facilities and agencies.
- Receiving written incident reports from mental health facilities and adult care homes about deaths resulting from homicide, suicide or accident or with the use of restraints or seclusion.
- Receiving reports of allegations of abuse, neglect, misappropriation of property and fraud from various agencies.
Staff members review all reports, set priorities and enter complaints into a computer database for investigation. They provide information to callers when the matter does not fall under the Division of Health Service Regulation.
The Complaint Intake Unit collaborates with other agencies and may refer some complaints to other agencies for investigation. These include accrediting agencies such as The Joint Commission; advocacy groups such as ombudsmen with the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS); advocates with the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disability and Substance Abuse Services; and protective services with the Division of Social Services, DAAS and county departments of social services.