Patient Advocate

The best time to address any concern is when it happens. If you have questions about your care, your service or even your food, ask questions immediately. We encourage our staff to listen carefully to our patients and to adopt a customer service attitude that emphasizes attentive, timely response to any inquiry. By working directly with the person who provides your care, you may be able to resolve the situation immediately and help avoid any recurrences. We want to know if we aren’t meeting your needs, so we have the opportunity to correct the situation while you’re here.

Because we realize some problems are just more stubborn than others, we also provide a special staff member – called a Patient Advocate – who will help you address any unresolved issues about your stay with us. The Patient Advocate is specially trained to serve as a liaison between you, your family and SMMC. She has the ability to work with every department and every staff member to assure your situation is addressed and resolved.

To reach the Patient Advocate from inside SMMC, call ext. 72155. From outside SMMC, call 913-676-2155. The Patient Advocate is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For assistance outside of normal business hours, please call the hospital operator. Inside SMMC, dial “0”, or from an outside phone call 913-676-2000, and ask for the House Nursing Supervisor. The Patient Advocate will investigate your concerns and she will keep in touch with you until your situation has been resolved.

We consider any concern not resolved promptly to be a grievance. Exercising your right to the grievance process will not compromise patient care. Confidentiality will be respected at all times. A resolution of your grievance will occur as soon as possible, and you will receive a written response from us within 30 days. For employed physician groups, grievances will be shared with the medical director/governance committee of the physician group as appropriate.

You have the right to lodge a grievance with any state agency directly, regardless of whether you have first used the hospital’s grievance process.

State Advocacy Agencies

Kansas Department of Health and Environment,
Bureau of Health Facilities, Adult Care Concern
900 SW Jackson, Topeka, KS 66612
1-800-842-0078

Kansas Foundation for Medical Care
Quality Improvement Organization for the State of Kansas
2947 SW Wanamaker Drive, Topeka, KS 66614
1-800-432-0407

Kansas Medicaid Customer Service Center
Kansas Medical Assistance Program, Office of the Fiscal Agent
P.O. Box 3571, Topeka, KS 66601
1-800-766-9012

Joint Commission
One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
1-800-994-6610

Kansas State Board of Healing Arts
235 S.Topeka Blvd.
Topeka, KS 66603-3068
785-296-7413

Medicare

Medicare beneficiaries have the right to request a referral to Peer Review Organizations for concerns regarding quality of care or premature discharge. For more information, contact the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care at the address or phone number above.

Joint Commission

If you have concerns about patient care and safety at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, that the hospital has not addressed, you are encouraged to contact the hospital management. If concerns cannot be resolved through the hospital, you are encouraged to contact The Joint Commission at 800-994-6610.