**Closure/Delay Information 1/17: Abbeville Area Rehab & Wellness open 10:30am; Healthcare Center & DWFM -open 12:00noon for Respiratory Patients ONLY;   Abbeville Urology – Closed; No COVID-19 Mobile Testing Clinic**

Reporting Your Concerns

At Abbeville Area Medical Center and our Physician Network practices, we are continuously working to improve our service to patients. An important part of this service is the way you feel you are treated by our staff members, volunteers and physicians. It is important that we hear about any concerns while you are in the hospital, physician clinics, or under care by our home health agency, Health Related Home Care. Please do not feel uncomfortable raising these concerns. We are committed to making sure that you receive compassionate, quality care. If there is anything we can do to improve the services we are providing, please talk with our staff.
For many concerns, it’s usually best to first speak with the people caring for you. This would probably be your nurse, hospital case manager, or office staff. If you don’t feel that they are helping you, please ask to speak to the supervisor, manager or director. If you still are unsatisfied with the resolve to your concern, you may file a grievance with the hospital. The hospital will review, investigate and resolve the grievance in a reasonable amount of time-generally 10 days from the time it is received. The hospital will respond to you in writing, in an easy to understand manner. The letter should tell you the steps that have been taken on your behalf to investigate the grievance, the results, and a contact person. You, or the hospital personnel, may also want to meet in person to talk about what happened.

AAMC contact person for grievances:
Mary Margaret Jackson, 864-366-3279
PO Box 887
Abbeville, SC 29620

A grievance is considered closed when you are satisfied with the actions taken by the hospital. There may be times, however, when the hospital feels it has taken reasonable steps to address your concern, but you are still unsatisfied. That’s when you may consider filing your concern with a hospital oversight organization-the next step below.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) licenses and certifies South Carolina hospitals. This means that the hospitals must meet certain rules and regulations to care for patients and receive payment. One function of DHEC is to investigate complaints about any facility they license.

Submitting a Complaint

SCDHEC Bureau of Certification

1-800-922-6735 (voicemail available)
Fax: 803-545-4292    E-mail: rushrf@dhec.sc.gov
Mail: SCDHEC Bureau of Certification/Health Regulation
2600 Bull Street    Columbia, SC 29201 

DNV
1-866-496-9647
400 Techne Center Drive, Suite 100
Milford, OH 45150
website: www.dnvglhealthcare.com
E-mail: hospitalcomplaint@dnvgl.com

Office for Civil Rights

You may file a complaint online using this online form. You may print and mail the form to:

Centralized Case Management Operations
US Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW, Room 509F, HHH Bldg.
Washington DC 20201

or email the completed complaint and consent forms to:  OCRComplaint@hhs.gov
Phone: 410-786-5510    Fax: 410-786-9549

Medicare

If Medicare (federal health insurance program for people over age 65 or people under 65 who are disabled) pays for you or your loved one’s care, you may have an additional place to go with a quality of care concern. Medicare pays a Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) in each state to oversee the quality of care provided to Medicare patients.

In South Carolina, that organization is called the Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME). You
can call CCME at the following number: 1-844-455-8708. Explain to the person who answers the phone
what your concerns are. Depending on the type of problem you are having, they may be able to help
right away. For example, with your permission, they may be able to call the hospital to see if they can
help solve your problem. In other cases, they may ask you to send your complaint in writing using a
complaint form.