Authority and scope
Check the professional and concern
The Washington Medical Commission (WMC) handles MD and physician-assistant complaints. Osteopathic physicians (DOs) use the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery and Department of Health (DOH) route. These are individual professional-conduct routes; hospitals, other facilities and other credentials may have different intake requirements.
Supporting guidance: WMC complaint instructions ↗Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery ↗
Choose the right licensing authority
Medical doctors and physician assistants
Washington Medical Commission: MDs and PAs.
Open this official route ↗Osteopathic physicians
DOH professional complaint intake for the osteopathic board; identify the DO credential.
Open this official route ↗How the official source says to file
- For an MD or PA, use WMC’s linked online intake or printable form. Include the practitioner’s full name, care location, detailed timeline and concerns. The full name is mandatory.
- The WMC paper package includes a signed identity-release choice. Send it to Medical.complaints@doh.wa.gov, fax 360-236-2744, or mail to Complaint Intake, PO Box 47866, Olympia, WA 98504. Keep copies; attachments are not returned.
- For a DO, use DOH’s complaint forms page. It permits online filing, email to hsqacomplaintintake@doh.wa.gov, or mail to Health Systems Quality Assurance, PO Box 47857, Olympia, WA 98504-7857. Supply dates, provider identity, factual details and witnesses; investigators may request a release.
Supporting guidance: WMC complaint instructions ↗WMC printable complaint and identity waiver ↗DOH complaint forms ↗DOH health-professions complaint process ↗
What this route may not provide
The agencies address unsafe or unprofessional practice, not malpractice compensation. Ordinary billing disputes generally fall outside review unless fraud is suspected. For MDs/PAs, WMC’s FAQ describes limited fee refunds despite broader language denying money recovery. DOH’s general FAQ also mentions refunds, but DO-specific refund authority was not established. No repayment is guaranteed.
Supporting guidance: WMC complaint FAQs ↗DOH health-professions complaint process ↗WMC printable complaint and identity waiver ↗
Do not guess about confidentiality
Anonymous reports are possible but can be difficult to investigate and do not receive DOH follow-up. WMC’s form warns that complaints and attachments become public records and may reach the practitioner. It separately offers eligible filers a yes/no identity waiver; declining can impair investigation. Public-record protections and redactions have limits.
Supporting guidance: WMC complaint FAQs ↗WMC printable complaint and identity waiver ↗DOH health-professions complaint process ↗
Agency FAQs state no statutory complaint filing limit; report promptly.
WMC and DOH FAQs say there is no statutory filing limit, while warning that missing records or witnesses may prevent action. They describe resolution ranging from weeks to two years. Those statements do not set civil-malpractice deadlines or promise completion.
Supporting guidance: WMC complaint FAQs ↗DOH health-professions complaint process ↗
What may happen after filing
Complaints are screened for jurisdiction and possible violations. Investigation can involve records, interviews and legal review, then closure, corrective action or discipline. The osteopathic board participates in complaint review and hearing panels.
Supporting guidance: DOH health-professions complaint process ↗Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery ↗
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
WMC complaint instructions ↗
MD/PA entry, preparation, online and paper links; read through ordinary public HTTP.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
WMC printable complaint and identity waiver ↗
Preparation, submission, public-record warning and identity-release choices.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
WMC complaint FAQs ↗
Anonymity, timing, remedies and limited refunds; read through ordinary public HTTP.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
DOH complaint forms ↗
DOH preparation and online, email and mail options; read through ordinary public HTTP.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
DOH health-professions complaint process ↗
Review, public records, anonymity, filing timing, processing estimates and remedies; read through ordinary public HTTP.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery ↗
DO board authority and investigation/hearing role; read through ordinary public HTTP.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Source check: September 19, 2026. This records a review of the linked material, not a decision about your case. No clinical or legal reviewer is identified for this guide. Confirm current instructions with the receiving authority.