Patient Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
The Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA) is a non-profit, private organization of physicians dedicated to maintaining quality medical care and good physician-patient relationships.
If you are dissatisfied with treatment you received by a member of our association, we offer a dispute resolution process by which you can bring your complaint before a committee of qualified physicians. Complaints range from charges of ethical misconduct to fee disputes. A committee reviews the complaint and the physician's response, and tries to determine whether the physician acted within the standard of care and the standard of practice.
Prior to utilizing our dispute resolution process, the ACCMA encourages you to discuss the matter with your physician. Such discussions generally resolve most problems.
Please note that the Medical Board of California is the only authority in the state that may take disciplinary action against the license of the physician to whom your complaint relates. The toll-free phone number of the Medical Board is 800/633-2322, and the Medical Board is located at 1426 Howe Avenue, Suite 54, Sacramento, California 95825-3236.
If you would like to utilize our complaint process, you must complete and sign the Patient Complaint Form and return it to the ACCMA by standard mail. By completing and signing this form, you agree to voluntarily participate in our review process. Upon receipt of your written complaint, a copy will be sent to the physician, who will be given an opportunity to respond in writing. The matter will then be referred to the proper committee for review. This process takes approximately several months. You will be notified in writing of the committee's findings, which is advisory only.
Please note that the ACCMA will not perform peer review services to resolve disputes between patients and physicians unless the physician is a current ACCMA member.
If you have any questions, please contact the ACCMA.
News
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