If you’ve been injured or treated unethically by a physician, nurse, or hospital, you have legal rights. You may be entitled to initiate a medical malpractice lawsuit to recover damages. Additionally, you have the right to file a complaint against the hospital or medical professional. Below, you’ll find out how to make complaints against (1) Physicians, (2) Nurses, and (3) Hospitals.
Physician Complaints
The GCMB is responsible for ensuring the highest standards of professional conduct and care among medical practitioners. Filing a complaint helps bring a practitioner’s misconduct before the board — and gives the GCMB the opportunity to hold the practitioner accountable.
Matters that fall within the GCMB’s jurisdiction include:
- Substandard medical care
- Misdiagnoses, delayed diagnoses, and other medical errors
- Inappropriate or excessive medication prescribing
- Unprofessional or unethical behavior (including misrepresentation of credentials, breaches of patient confidentiality, or fraudulent billing)
- Sexual assault
- Other forms of sexual misconduct by healthcare providers
Anyone can file a complaint with the GCMB, including patients, family members, and other members of the public.
There are two methods for filing a complaint with the GA Medical Board:
- Online: Most complaints are submitted online. You will need the name of the practitioner to initiate the complaint.
- Regular Mail: If you need to submit paper records or other documents along with your complaint, you will need to send it via regular mail. You can download a complaint form, or call the Board at (404) 656-3913 to request a complaint form be mailed to you.
The Board will investigate whether the practitioner violated Georgia’s legal standards for professional conduct. If the GCMB finds a violation, it may take disciplinary action against the practitioner, which may include fines, probation, suspension, or even revocation of license.
You may access the complaint document here.
Nursing Complaints
If you were injured or received substandard care from a nurse, you can file a conduct complaint against the nurse with the Licensing Division of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. You must submit your complaint in writing and can file a complaint online here.
The complaint must include the following:
- Your name, address, telephone number, and email address
- The name and address of the person being reported. You may need the individual’s license number if relevant.
- A detailed description of the violation.
- Any other relevant information, including supporting documents that could help substantiate your complaint.
You can search for a nurse by their license number using the Secretary of State’s website.
Once you file a complaint, the Professional Licensing Boards division will review it and, if appropriate, take further investigative action. If the board determines that the nurse violated the board’s laws, rules, and/or regulations, it may discipline the nurse. Disciplinary action may include a fine, reprimand, suspension, or license revocation.
Hospital Complaints
If you received poor quality care from a hospital facility in Georgia, you may file a complaint with the Georgia Department of Community Health’s Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD). The HFRD is responsible for ensuring safety and quality of care in Georgia healthcare facilities.
The complaint must include the following:
- Your name, address, telephone number, and email address.
- The name and address of the facility.
- A detailed description of the facility’s misconduct, including the date, time, and frequency of incidents involving poor care.
- Supporting documents to clarify your complaint.
- Witnesses and other parties involved in the complaint.
You may also file your complaint anonymously if you so choose. You can access the complaint document here.
Contact a Georgia Medical Malpractice Lawyer to Take Further Legal Action
You may have a right to compensation if you were injured or provided substandard care by a medical professional. Call Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers at (770) 390-7550 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case with our top-rated Georgia medical malpractice lawyer. Contact us, we can help you understand your rights and options and determine a strategy for helping you get the money you need to put your life back together.