Division Contact: Rita Horton
Complaint Hotline: 1-800-624-3004 (within N.C.) or 919-855-4500
Complaint Hotline Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. weekdays, except holidays.
Fax: 919-715-7724
Mail: 2711 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2711
Common Issues Handled by Other Agencies and Contact Information
- Physicians and Urgent Care Centers - N.C. Medical Board (1-800-253-9653)
- Labor/Personnel Issues - N.C. Department of Labor (1-800-625-2267)
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Complaints - U.S. Office of Civil Rights (1-800-368-1019)
- Discrimination Complaints - U.S. Office of Civil Rights (1-800-368-1019)
- Medicaid Fraud - N.C. Division of Medical Assistance (919-647-8000)
- Medicare Fraud - U.S. Office of Inspector General (1-800-447-8477)
General Information
The Complaint Intake Unit is available to receive complaints regarding the care and services provided to patients/residents/consumers by health care facilities/agencies/homes licensed by the Division of Health Service Regulation. These facilities include nursing homes, adult care homes, acute care hospitals, home care agencies, home health agencies, hospice agencies, psychiatric hospitals, dialysis centers, suppliers of portable X-ray services, rural health clinics, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities, ambulatory surgery facilities, abortion clinics, cardiac rehabilitation programs, nursing pool agencies, clinical laboratories, mental health group homes and other 24-hour facilities, outpatient, and day treatment facilities.
Complaints may be shared with our unit by telephone, by facsimile or by postal mail. Our division is only able to investigate complaints regarding incidents that have occurred in the past year and issues that are regulated by federal regulations or state statutes. A complaint form [DOC, 63 KB] [PDF, 75 KB] is available for written complaints but is not required to be used.
Each complaint is prioritized for investigation according the seriousness of the situation. Complaints are investigated by the appropriate licensing section within our division except for adult care homes*. Investigations are unannounced to the facilities/agencies/homes, and complainant identifying information is not shared with the facilities/agencies/homes.
*Complaints received by our Complaint Intake Unit for adult care homes are forwarded to the local Department of Social Services for investigation.
Provider Information
Residential mental health facilities, adult care homes and nursing homes need to display information for contacting the Complaint Intake Unit to be in compliance with various statutes/regulations. This poster (PDF, 435 KB) may be used to display the required contact information.
- General Statute 122C‑25 (d) (Residential Mental Health Facilities)
- General Statute 131D‑2.13(c) (Adult Care Homes)
- Federal Regulation 483.10(b)(7) (PDF, 2.26 MB) (Nursing Facilities) - (pdf, 548 pages). The regulation is on page 14.
Long-term care facilities (nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded and hospices that provide services in long-term care facilities) are required to conspicuously post, in an appropriate location, a notice for its employees specifying the employees' rights to file a complaint under Section 1150B of the Social Security Act. The notice must include a statement that an employee may file a complaint with the SA (Division of Health Service Regulation) against a long-term care facility that retaliates against an employee as specified above, as well as include information with respect to the manner of filing such a complaint. This poster (PDF, 475 KB) may be used to display the required contact information.
- Section 1150B of the Social Security Act (the Act), as established by section 6703(b)(3) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act)
Death Reporting Forms
- Report of Death to DHHS form for state operated facilities, psych hospitals and psych units (PDF, 39 KB)
- Critical Incident and Death Report Form for community mental health facilities (PDF, 139 KB)
- Death Reporting Form for adult care facilities (PDF, 36 KB)