Complaining about lousy, dangerous, and illegal healthcare practices in Florida just got a little easier with word today that the state has launched an online healthcare facility complaint form.
"We are always looking for ways to empower Floridians to be more involved in their healthcare and the care of their loved ones," said Thomas Arnold, the newly appointed secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
"The new online healthcare facility complaint form will give Floridians direct access to our agency when they feel a violation has occurred, allowing us to act quickly and efficiently to help correct the issue."
Healthcare consumers can search www.FloridaHealthFinder.gov to see if a healthcare facility is regulated by AHCA. If a consumer has a complaint or would like to report a suspicious activity, they can anonymously complete AHCA's online complaint form at FloridaHealthFinder.gov and click on File a Complaint or click here.
The only information needed to file a complaint is the name of the facility, address, date of the incident, and the patient/resident's name and date of birth, if available. Floridians without Internet access can call AHCA toll-free at (888) 419-3456.
AHCA regulates 41 types of healthcare service providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health agencies, administers Florida's Medicaid program, licenses and regulates more than 40,000 healthcare facilities and 43 HMOs, and publishes healthcare data and statistics. In 2008, AHCA received 7,788 complaints through phone calls and written correspondence.