Tennessee Medical Complaint Route

Authority and scope

Check the professional and concern

Medical doctors use the Board of Medical Examiners; osteopathic physicians use the Board of Osteopathic Examination; PAs use the independent Board of Physician Assistants. All three direct patients to the Department’s healthcare-provider complaint intake for possible professional-law or rule violations. Identify the individual and credential; facility and insurance concerns require separate routing.

Supporting guidance: Board of Medical Examiners ↗Board of Osteopathic Examination ↗Board of Physician Assistants ↗

Choose the right licensing authority

Medical doctors (MDs)

Board of Medical Examiners; use its healthcare-provider complaint link.

Open this official route ↗

Osteopathic physicians (DOs)

Board of Osteopathic Examination; shared Department complaint intake.

Open this official route ↗

Physician assistants

Independent Board of Physician Assistants; shared Department complaint intake.

Open this official route ↗

Submission

How the official source says to file

Use the online healthcare-provider complaint link. The Department encourages a signed Allegations Report and completed, signed Patient Release. The online service’s downstream fields and submission were not tested.
Give the practitioner’s name, profession, license number if known, patient relationship, dated chronology, witness contacts and copies of relevant records. Use a separate report for each practitioner and retain copies; submitted material is not returned.
Call Investigations at 800-852-2187 for assistance. Telephone complaints are accepted in some circumstances. Confirm paper delivery because the currently linked general PDF names Pharmacy in its return block.

Supporting guidance: Health Professional Boards complaint instructions ↗Linked PH-3466 complaint package ↗

Limits

What this route may not provide

The Department investigates professional conduct and can restrict future practice. It cannot recover fees or injury damages, represent you, or impose criminal penalties.

Supporting guidance: Health Professional Boards complaint instructions ↗Linked PH-3466 complaint package ↗

Anonymity

Do not guess about confidentiality

Anonymous reports are accepted if sufficiently detailed, but receive no status reports. The Department says complainant identity is confidential; a practitioner may nevertheless infer who complained when medical records are requested. Investigative findings are also confidential.

Supporting guidance: Health Professional Boards complaint instructions ↗

Complaint timing

Initial review is described as three business days; full review may take months.

A filing deadline was not established by this check; ask promptly. The Department describes initial review within three business days and potentially several months for review or investigation. These are processing statements, not filing limits or guarantees.

Supporting guidance: Health Professional Boards complaint instructions ↗

Process

What may happen after filing

Clinical and legal reviewers assess possible violations and may request a field investigation. Identified complainants receive a complaint number and written disposition. Decisions generally are not reconsidered without changed facts.

Supporting guidance: Health Professional Boards complaint instructions ↗Linked PH-3466 complaint package ↗

Evidence

Prepare a reviewable submission

State the concern you want reviewed, then add a short chronology, best supporting records, factual consequences, and a specific request for review.

Sources and scope

Some agency-linked forms and destinations could not be read. Source-check dates apply to the material listed below; they do not establish that every linked portal was inspected or a complaint submitted.