Have you been victimized by Confluence Health, Wenatchee Valley Hospital, or Central Washington Hospital? You are not alone and you deserve to be heard.
Complain Internally
Confluence Health should hear about problems, but be prepared for the possibility that they will refuse to address even those that are easy to fix.
- You can reach Confluence Health’s risk management department at 509-663-8711. They publish a list of patient rights which includes this phone number.
- Escalate your complaint. If you do not receive an adequate resolution, keep
asking for supervisors. Express your displeasure and ask if there is anyone
else that you can talk to. Remain civil where possible. Do not let them
convince you that half-measures or inaction is the best that you can
reasonably expect.
- Confluence Health’s email addresses generally follow the form [email protected]. Consider escalating to board members or to executives by finding them on LinkedIn.
Complain to Regulators
Whether or not Confluence Health is willing to resolve your concerns, it is important that regulators are aware of the issues facing patients who attempt to receive healthcare in the Wenatchee area. Even if regulators do not act on your complaint, it can be used later to help establish a pattern.
Typically, the most effective way to complain is to submit a complaint against a medical provider directly, rather than the healthcare institution as a whole. However, you can do both.
- To complain about an MD (Medical Doctor) or PA (Physician Assistant):
- The Washington Medical Commission (WMC) handles these complaints. Start on their complaint page. Call them at 360-236-2750 with any questions. They pick up the phone and are friendly and helpful. Putting together all of this information can feel overwhelming, but the WMC can walk you through it.
- To complain about a nurse:
- Contact the Board of Nursing.
- To complain about a hospital:
- Contact Health Systems Quality Assurance Complaint Intake at 360-236-4700 or [email protected]. They also have an online complaint form.
On their list of patient rights, Confluence Health has several other options for escalating complaints.
Complain to Accreditor
Confluence Health’s Central Washington Hospital is currently accredited by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), previously known as DNV GL. Despite a claim on the Confluence Health website, Confluence Health is no longer accredited by The Joint Commission.
You may submit a complaint to DNV by calling 866-523-6842. You may need to leave a voicemail, but you should receive a call back within a couple of business days.
Some caveats are:
- DNV has some authority over Central Washington Hospital but may not have authority over other parts of the Confluence Health organization.
- DNV recommends reporting issues with individual providers to the state (see above for instructions).
- DNV can investigate complaints. If they investigate, they will inform you that there is an investigation but will not tell you the outcome without the facility’s permission.
- DNV can act to protect patient rights, but not all of them. We do not know which ones they can act on and which they cannot. We recommend calling to find out whether they can act on your specific issue.
Advocacy
If you agree that the existing patient protections are inadequate, contact your state legislators and explain what happened to you and why you believe regulators should have stepped in.
Additional Resources
- You can look up healthcare providers on the Washington Department of Health’s website. You can see there whether they have been subject to any disciplinary action in the past (see the Enforcement Action column). If you would like to see all complaints against a provider, you will need to submit a public records request with the Department of Health.
- Licensed medical professionals may not commit unprofessional conduct as defined in RCW 18.130.180. The Department of Health has the authority to discipline license holders who do so. However, they pick and choose which cases they want to pursue. Your complaint may not be pursued even if the licensee did commit unprofessional conduct. Still, submitting a complaint is worthwhile since it may allow them to establish a pattern later on.
Last Update: April 2024