This is NAMA and SAMHSA/CARF……….
How to submit feedback or resolve a
complaint with a CARF-accredited provider
As part of our continuing effort to improve the quality of services of CARF-accredited providers,
feedback from consumers, employees, and others is used to strengthen the value of CARF
accreditation. Anyone can register feedback about a provider that is accredited by CARF.
Remember that it is as important to acknowledge the strengths of a provider as it is to cite its
weaknesses.
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You may summarize your comments or concerns by completing the online contact form.
Please include the name of the service provider, its city and state or province, and your
own name and complete address so that we may acknowledge your feedback.
You may e-mail your comments or concerns to feedback@carf.org. You must include the
information requested above.
Or you may fax your feedback to:
(520) 318-1129
Or you may mail your feedback on 1 to 3 pages of paper to:
CARF
6951 East Southpoint Road
Tucson, AZ 85756
Or you may call toll free (866) 510-2273 or (866) 510-CARF, which is a dedicated
telephone line for receiving public feedback during business hours. (Other business calls
should continue to be directed to CARF's main number.) The number is TTY-accessible
for persons with hearing impairments.
CARF's office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time), Monday through
Friday, except holidays.
Tips on resolving a complaint with a provider
In becoming accredited by CARF, a provider demonstrates that it focuses on quality
improvement, the best possible outcomes of its services, and customer satisfaction.
However, even the best providers will receive a complaint from time to time. If you have a
concern about the services you are receiving, you can take several steps.
First, tell a staff member about your concern and ask who can help you resolve it. A CARFaccredited provider pledges to work hard to resolve concerns about its services.
Then, if you are unable to quickly resolve the concern, ask a staff member to tell you how to use
the formal complaint/grievance process. A CARF-accredited provider must have a formal
complaint/grievance procedure available to the people it serves and other interested persons.
Finally, if you feel your concern is not resolved through the grievance process, you may want to
contact the Protection and Advocacy agency in your state, province, or territory. You might also
contact the governmental agency that is responsible for licensing the provider to operate, making
referrals, or funding the services.
HERE IS SAMHSA/CSAT
The Federal regulations include provisions for receiving and acting upon patient grievances (42
CFR Part 8.4.(e)). The SAMHSA/CSAT approved accreditation bodies are required to have
policies and procedures to respond to complaints from SAMHSA/CSAT, patients, facility staff,
and others, within a reasonable period of time but not more than 5 days from the receipt of the
complaint. Some accreditation bodies permit complaints to be submitted online. Additionally, in
the SAMHSA/CSAT Guidelines for the Accreditation of Opioid Treatment Programs, under
Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities (XVI.B.14.g) Complaints and Appeals: All
consumers have the right to a fair and efficient process for resolving differences with their
health plans, health care providers, and the institutions that serve them, including a rigorous
system of internal review and an independent system of external review. This is an area that the
surveying accreditation organization will review.
dpt.samhsa.gov
nreuter@samhsa.hhs.gov Email for Nick Reuter at SAMHSA/CSAT
National Alliance for Medication Assisted
Recovery
"Just that you people who are involved in advocacy, keep up the work. I have seen
changes come about because of people becoming involved. It is these who are the real heroes
in all this. Without advocacy, changes will not come about within the present system."
Dr. Vincent Dole
HERE IS THE LINK
http://www.methadone.org/grievance_report.html
Grievance Report
Is Your Program Punitive?
Fill Out a Grievance Report -- It's Time To Educate Them!
Does Your Program Treat Patients With Dignity?
Fill Out a Compliment Report -- Let Them Know They are Appreciated!
The Grievance Report Project is an ongoing project used to educate the Medication
Assisted Treatment (MAT) community about quality treatment. Programs can no
longer hide behind a veil of patient confidentiality or call degrading policies quality
treatment. The new accreditation organizations will be interested in these reports.
The Dole-Nyswander Program worked because it was a caring program with a sense
of community and that is what needs to be brought back to MAT. NAMA Recovery
will use the Grievance Report Process to report programs to various agencies for
further investigation. This project will not work unless patients themselves tell us
about their program. So NAMA Recovery needs you to participate.
Grievance Reports are Not Only for Programs!
A Grievance Report can be filed on any agency, institution, program or professional
that does not treat you with common dignity and respect. Here are some examples of
Grievance Reports that you can file.
hospital
inadequate pain medication
won't accept methadone
school
patients
any involvement because
family court
of your medication
probation or
have to withdraw from
parole officer
your medication
have to withdraw from
social worker or
your medication to receive
clinical psychologist
treatment
There are two kinds of grievance reports: a General Report and an Incident Report.
General Report
A General Grievance Report details the situation at a program, service or agency and
usually involves their policy. A General Report does not always require investigation
or follow up. You are simply reporting the policy or a situation at a program, service,
agency, etc. In some instances these policies are discriminatory towards patients.
When a policy violates the constitution or law NAMA Recovery will notify any
oversight agencies or institutions and begin procedures to end the policy. An example
of this kind of General Report would be a homeless shelter that does not allow MAT
patients. This is a direct violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
When NAMA Recovery has collected several General Grievance Reports about a
program an inquiry will be made to confirm if the policy has been changed or not. The
program's reply will be shared with the patients that have made the reports and if
necessary their will be further investigation. This type of report helps to change policy
at your program because it makes program staff re-think policy that may not be doing
what was originally intended.
Incident Report
If you are having trouble with your program you can report a specific incident.
Incident Reports are for specific problems that you are having with your program right
now. Other examples of an Incident Grievance Report include take home medication
schedule or dose change, either increase or decrease. Usually patients are having
trouble because they do not know program policy, state or federal regulations, or
resources that they can use to make the program work for them. NAMA Recovery
believes in empowering patients with information that will help them achieve the
recovery goals they have set for themselves. By filing an Incident Report you will be
assisted in: (1) knowing the regulations that apply, and (2) how to use regulations and
"resources" to get a positive result.
Some Incident Grievance Reports are being filed at a critical point. An example of this
is the patient that is being disharged from their program. If this is the case after filing
the Incident Grievance Report send an email to Claude Hopkins, the Grievance
Coordinator. The sooner that Claude Hopkins starts to intervene with a critical issue
the more likely your chance at having a positive result.
CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
All information that is provided will be held strictly confidential in the same manner
as the patient protections described in the U.S. Federal Confidentiality Regulations 42
CFR and the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information
(the Privacy Rule) as established by the Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
(HIPPA). In order to assist you at the maximum level of follow-up and outcome, we
do request certain personal information. However, if you do not want us to disclose
your name for any reason, we will honor your wishes.
We offer three ways to obtain and/or file a Grievance Report:
1. You can print out a Grievance Report and Authorization to Release
Information from our website.
Click Here to go there.
 You can download a Grievance Report and Authorization to Release Information in
pdf format.
Click below to download:
Grievance Report and Medical Release
Grievance Report
Medical Release
 You fill out the online Grievance Report. However we will still need an
Authorization to Release Information to speak with a program or many agencies.
Click below to download the Medical Release Form:
Medical Release
To go to the Online Grievance Report Click Here.
Grievance Reports can be sent to:
Claude Hopkins, RMA CMA, Grievance Coordinator
ch.grievance@methadone.org
Or mailed to:
National Alliance of Medication Assisted Recovery
435 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Or faxed to:
(212) 595-nama/6262
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