Patient Care & Concerns
Your Patient Service Representative - At VCU Health CMH we recognize that patients sometimes have questions and comments about their hospitalization. That’s why we have Patient Service Representative Volunteers available to assist you with any questions, concerns or non-medical needs you may have. Patient Service Representatives visit with patients and family members Monday through Friday.
Careline - VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital welcomes patient and family feedback. If you have any questions or concerns about patient care and/or safety, please contact your Patient Service Representative or call our 24-hour CARE LINE by dialing (434) 584-3227. Leave a message including your name, and a brief description of your concern and within 10 minutes, an Administrative Representative will respond to you.
You may also contact Hospital Administration at (434) 584-5407.
If the concerns in question can not be resolved at this level, you may also contact either of the following agencies:
The Joint Commission (JC). You may contact The Joint Commission at their website, or by calling their complaint hotline at (800) 994-6610.
Center for Quality Healthcare Services and Consumer Protection (All Others)
Virginia Department of Health
3600 West Broad Street, Suite 216
Richmond, Virginia 23230
1-800-955-1819
Speak Up – Patient safety is very important to VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, and we have made this a top priority within our hospital and facilities. We have put in place several safety programs to maintain and improve the safety of our patients at our facilities. Your comments about safety measures are important to us. We encourage patients to notify their doctor, a nurse or any member of our staff if they have ideas about ways to provide a safe environment.
Become a Member of Your Own Health Care Team
Everyone has a role in making healthcare safe — physicians, healthcare executives, nurses and technicians. Learn more from The Joint Commission and the Speak Up campaign about empowering yourself to be an active member of your own health care team. To help empower patients and to prevent health care errors, The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a national Speak Up campaign encouraging patients to do the following:
- Speak up if you have questions or concerns -and if you don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.
- Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don't assume anything.
- Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing and your treatment plan.
- Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.
- Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health care errors.
- Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center or other type of health care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as that provided by Joint Commission.
- Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team.
