Please be aware that, as a public agency, your complaint and other information that you provide may be disclosable under state Freedom of Information laws.
The Health Care Quality and Safety Branch of the Department of Public Health is responsible for investigating complaints and compliance issues relating to the health care professionals and facilities that the Department is authorized to regulate pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes. The information on this page is specific to complaints concerning individual healthcare practitioners. If your complaint concerns a licensed healthcare facility, such as a hospital, surgical center, nursing home, etc. please scroll down to the bottom of this page for more information.
We recommend consumers read this webpage in its entirety as well as the Practitioner Complaints - Frequently Asked Questions before submitting a complaint. The law limits the Department’s jurisdiction to actions against the provider’s license. For this reason, an action by the Department/Board will not result in any compensation, monetary or otherwise, to an aggrieved consumer.
Individual Health Care Practitioners
The Department does not license medical offices such as veterinary offices, dental offices, counseling and therapy offices or doctor offices. We do license individual licensed practitioners working in these offices. Please note that office clerical/administrative staff is not licensed by the Department and, therefore, the Department is unable to resolve complaints regarding these individuals.
Individual Health Care Practitioners, such as physicians, dentists, veterinarians etc. are regulated by the Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section of the Department. To see a complete list of these licensed professions please follow the link to the Practitioner Licensing Investigations Section. The Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section licenses and investigates complaints for over 70 professions licensed by the Department.
To file a complaint against an individual health care provider please use:
- A fillable, printable complaint form (link).
The completed complaint form may be mailed to:
- Connecticut Department of Public Health
Practitioner Investigations Unit, MS#12HSR
P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308
Emailed to:
- DPH.PLISComplaints@ct.gov
Or faxed to:
- 860-707-1916
You may also call the Practitioner Investigations Unit at 860-509-7552 to request a complaint form be mailed to you.
Prior to submitting the completed form, please note the following:
- Connecticut General Statutes Section 20-13d requires that Complaints against physicians and physician assistants be notarized.
- You should receive a written acknowledgment letter, via the US Postal Service or via the email you provided on the complaint form, within two weeks of the Practitioner Investigations Unit receiving your complaint. If not, please contact the Practitioner Investigations Unit via email at DPH.PLISComplaints@ct.gov.
Mandatory Reporting of Impaired Health Care Practitioners
Effective October 1, 2015, hospitals and certain healthcare providers are required by law to report information when another healthcare provider is, or may be, unable to practice his or her profession with reasonable skill or safety. Please review information on the mandatory reporting requirements by clicking here. For practitioners or hospitals wishing to fulfill this mandate by filing a petition with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, a form with instructions is available here.
Health Care Facilities
Health Care Facilities, such as hospitals, surgical centers, nursing homes, assisted living facilities are regulated by Facility Licensing and Investigations Section of the Department. For a complete list of healthcare institutions requiring a Connecticut license from the Department of Public Health please follow the link to the Facility Licensing Webpage. For information on how to file a complaint regarding clinical care and services at a licensed Connecticut healthcare facility, please follow this link FLIS Complaint Submission (ct.gov).