Patient Experience Advocacy Team

Hospital for Special Surgery has a Patient Experience Advocacy team to assist you and your family with any questions concerning hospital regulations and routines. This team also functions as a central grievance body, through which you, your family or support person, can voice concerns or complaints about care and services.

How HSS Responds to Patient Complaints

To reach a Patient Experience Advocate to discuss a question, issue or concern regarding your care, please call 212.774.2403, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00am - 5:00pm. You may also send your non-urgent questions or concerns to PatientExperience@hss.edu. On weekends or after hours, please call 212.606.1000 and ask the operator to page the Nurse Supervisor to assist you.

1. In addition, you may report a complaint or grievance to:
2. Any HSS staff member or department manager, director, supervisor, or nurse in charge.
3. The Executive Office of Hospital for Special Surgery by phone at 212.606.1236 or by sending a letter to Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021. If your complaint rises to the level of a grievance, you will be contacted within seven business days of receipt of the grievance. You will be informed about the resolution of the grievance, or informed that additional time is needed for the investigation. Except in unusual circumstances, you will be informed of the resolution of the grievance within 45 business days.
4. The New York State Department of Health by phone at 800.804.5447 or by sending a letter to the NYS Department of Health, Centralized Hospital Intake Program, Mailstop: CA/DCS, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237.
5. The Joint Commission by phone at 800.994.6610 or by sending a letter to the Office of Quality Monitoring, The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, or by e-mail to complaint@jointcommission.org.
6. Medicare complaints: Livanta at BFCC-QIO Program, 9090 Junction Drive, Suite 10, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701 or phone number 866.815.5440.

Additional information regarding complaint reporting can be found in your admission packet entitled “Your Rights as a Hospital Patient.”