How to File a CT Health Department Complaint

To file a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, use one of two intake tracks depending on who you’re reporting. Complaints about individual providers go to the Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (PLIS) on a printed form submitted by mail, email, or fax. Complaints about hospitals, nursing homes, and other licensed facilities go to the Facility Licensing and Investigations Section (FLIS) through an online portal.

Which Track Applies to Your Complaint

The distinction matters, and getting it wrong slows things down.

PLIS handles individual healthcare providers licensed by the state, including physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, chiropractors, physical therapists, and more than seventy other professions.¹ If a specific person’s conduct or competence is the issue, this is your track.

FLIS handles institutions. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 19a-490, that includes hospitals, nursing homes, residential care homes, assisted living facilities, outpatient surgical centers, clinical laboratories, home health agencies, behavioral health facilities, and birth centers.² If the concern is about care, staffing, or conditions at a licensed facility rather than one identified provider, file with FLIS.

What to Gather Before You File

A complaint moves faster when it arrives with enough detail for an investigator to work with. Have the following ready:

The full legal name of the practitioner or the exact name of the facility.
The date and location of the incident.
A written description of what happened, focused on specific actions, omissions, or conditions. Dissatisfaction with an outcome alone is not enough; describe what the provider did or failed to do.
Names of any witnesses.
Supporting documents such as medical records, discharge summaries, photographs, or correspondence.

One requirement catches people off guard: if your complaint is against a physician or physician assistant, Connecticut law requires it to be notarized.³ Banks, UPS stores, and town clerk offices commonly provide notary services.

Filing Against a Practitioner

PLIS uses a fillable complaint form available in English and Spanish on the DPH website. There is no online submission for practitioner complaints. Complete and print the form, get it notarized if it involves a physician or PA, then send it through one of these channels:³

Mail: Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Investigations Unit, MS#12HSR, P.O. Box 340308, Hartford, CT 06134-0308
Email: DPH.PLISComplaints@ct.gov
Fax: 860-707-1916

Documents can also be dropped off at the first-floor security desk at 410 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, though the department prefers mail, email, or fax.⁴ For questions about the process, the general PLIS line is 860-509-7552.

Filing Against a Facility

FLIS accepts complaints directly through an online submission portal on the DPH website. The portal collects your account of the care, treatment, or services provided or withheld at the facility.⁵

If the facility is a nursing home or assisted living community, you can also contact the Connecticut Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 860-424-5200. The ombudsman is separate from DPH and works as an independent advocate for residents, either helping you through the complaint process or intervening directly.⁶

What Happens After You File

For practitioner complaints, PLIS sends a written acknowledgment within about two weeks of receiving your submission, by U.S. mail or email depending on the contact information you provided.³ For facility complaints, professional staff review the concerns and decide how to proceed.⁵

When allegations fall within DPH authority and appear to have merit, investigators open a formal case. They may contact you for a more detailed interview or to clarify parts of your account, and they have authority to request medical records and internal reports. The provider or facility is typically notified and given the chance to respond in writing.

Physician investigations are confidential by statute. No one involved can disclose that the investigation exists unless the physician requests it. If DPH finds no probable cause, the file stays confidential; if probable cause is found, the records become public as of that date.

Possible Outcomes

A case can close with a finding of no probable cause. If evidence supports a violation, DPH or the relevant professional board can impose penalties under Connecticut General Statutes § 19a-17, including:

A letter of reprimand, which becomes part of the practitioner’s record.
Censure, a public statement of disapproval.
Probation or practice restrictions, sometimes with required supervision or retraining.
License suspension or revocation.
A civil penalty of up to $10,000.⁷

For physicians, grounds for discipline include negligent or incompetent practice, substance abuse, failure to maintain malpractice insurance, and misrepresentation in obtaining a license, among others.⁸

When the DPH Is Not the Right Agency

Two common concerns fall outside DPH jurisdiction.

If the issue is a provider improperly sharing your medical records or failing to safeguard your health information, that is a HIPAA matter handled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. You generally have 180 days from when you learned of the violation to file, with limited extensions for good cause, and you can submit through the OCR Complaint Portal or in writing.⁹ A HIPAA complaint can run parallel to a DPH complaint.

If you are on Medicare and the concern is quality of care or a premature end to covered services, a Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO) can review it. This is separate from a DPH complaint and is particularly relevant to hospital discharge disputes.¹⁰

1
Justia. Connecticut Code 19a-14 – Powers of Department Concerning Regulated Professions
2
Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code Chapter 368v – Health Care Institutions
3
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Reporting a Complaint
4
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Contact the Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section
5
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Facility Licensing and Investigation Section Complaint Submission
6
Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
7
Justia. Connecticut Code 19a-17 – Disciplinary Action by Department, Boards and Commissions
8
Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 370 – Medicine and Surgery
9
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How to File a Health Information Privacy or Security Complaint
10
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Quality Improvement Organizations