Complaints

Constituent Complaint Policy

Purpose:

The National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA) endeavors to be responsive to its constituents, including the public, Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants, and medical credentialing professionals to address concerns or complaints the constituents fairly and expeditiously may bring forth. The NCCAA recognizes a constituent’s interest to make a complaint about the conduct of the NCCAA's operations, services, staff, or third-party vendors, where the individual constituent believes their interests have been adversely affected.

The purpose of the Complaint Resolution Policy is to protect the constituent’s interests, including the interest to:

  • Comment and complain.
  • Provide an efficient and fair process for resolving constituent’s complaints.
  • Monitor complaints to improve the quality of operations and services provided by the NCCAA.

This policy is intended to provide the NCCAA a method that ensures consistent management, monitoring, and reporting of complaints as well as identifies areas in need of improvement.

Scope:

This policy applies to NCCAA staff, NCCAA Board and individuals availing themselves the policy and procedures for reporting a complaint to the NCCAA.

Definitions:

  • Complaint: An expression of dissatisfaction or concern regarding the services, operations procedures, staff, vendors, or complaint handling process made by a constituent.
  • Complainant: The person making the complaint.
  • Constituent: The person interacting with the NCCAA.
  • Complaint Register: Electronic or paper records of incoming complaints, including information on the complainant and resolution of complaint.

Complaint Process:

The complaint should be made in writing, including and preferably by means of electronic communication such as email. Constituents should initially direct their concerns to the NCCAA at: contact@nccaa.org

If by USPS, correspondence should be addressed as follows:

    NCCAA
    8459 US 42, #160
    Florence, KY 41042

The complaint should include the following information:

    Details of the complaint – including but not limited to date of occurrence, issue, location if applicable, contact information for parties that may provide additional information, NCCAA policy or procedure in question, and contact information for follow-up inquiry.

Response to Complaints:

A constituent complaint file will be opened for each complaint. Complaints will be logged into the NCCAA's complaint register. The Director of Administration and Operations will attempt to resolve the complaint during the first contact, when possible, and will acknowledge the constituent's complaint/concerns within three (3) business days of the initial complaint. At the time of the first contact, the Director of Administration and Operations will inform the constituent if more time will be needed to research the complaint. Due to the nature of each individual complaint and the necessity to research and obtain information, often from third parties, NCCAA will attempt to provide a timeline for resolution and/or decision; however, depending on the nature of the issue, extended time to resolution and/or decision may be required.

Notice of Resolution and/or Decision:

The NCCAA will provide the complainant updates on the investigation as pertinent information becomes available. The NCCAA will provide written notice of any action taken with respect to the specific complaint in a timely manner, following investigation and decision of the NCCAA Board, if applicable.

Complaint Register Review:

The NCCAA's complaint register will be regularly reviewed to identify areas of the NCCAA's operations and service that may require improvement. The Director of Operations will research reoccurring complaint matters and recommend process and procedure changes, when appropriate. These changes will be noted in the Complaint Register, and any necessary NCCAA Policy and Procedure updates will be presented to the Board of Directors for adoption.

Appeal:

Should the complainant desire to appeal the resolution and/or decision, the complainant can find the NCCAA appeals process in the NCCAA Administrative Action and Appeals Handbook.

Amendments to Policy:

Any proposed amendments to this policy must be reviewed and approved by the governing board pursuant to the NCCAA policy establishment policy.

Effective Date:

This policy is effective as of August 20, 2024.