File a Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with your medical care or the service provided by HPSM or your doctor's office, we want to address and resolve it to your satisfaction. Our grievance and appeals process allows us to do this as quickly as possible.

Expressing concerns or filing a complaint will not affect your benefits in any way. Your provider (doctor) also cannot discriminate against you because you file a complaint.

How to file a complaint

First, call us

We will try to resolve your concern over the phone. If we do not resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within 24 hours, the Grievance and Appeals Unit will start a formal process to reach a solution.

• CareAdvantage members: Call the CareAdvantage Unit at 1-866-880-0606 (toll-free) or 650-616-2174
• Medi-Cal members, HealthWorx members and San Mateo County ACE participants: Call Member Services at 1-800-750-4776 (toll-free) or 650-616-2133
• Medi-Cal members, if your problem or complaint is about a pharmacy or medicine issue, you will need to file it with Medi-Cal Rx directly.

Grievance and Appeals

There are two types of complaints:

1. File a grievance if you are dissatisfied about the medical services or customer service you received from HPSM or a provider
2. File an appeal if you want HPSM to reconsider a decision to deny coverage for a service or item you or your doctor requested

There are four ways you can file a grievance

1. Online: Fill out and submit HPSM's online complaint form.
2. Medi-Cal members, if your problem or complaint is about a pharmacy or medicine issue, you will need to file it with Medi-Cal Rx directly.
3. By phone:
   • CareAdvantage members: Call the CareAdvantage Unit at 1-866-880-0606 (toll-free) or 650-616-2174
   • Medi-Cal members, HealthWorx members and San Mateo County ACE participants: Call Member Services at 1-800-750-4776 (toll-free) or 650-616-2133
4. In writing: Download and complete HPSM's printable Confidential Member Complaint Form, then fax it to 650-829-2002 or mail it to:
   • Health Plan of San Mateo
   • Attn: Grievance and Appeals Unit
   • 801 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 100
   • South San Francisco, CA 94080

You can file an appeal by calling HPSM

• CareAdvantage members: Call the CareAdvantage Unit at 1-866-880-0606 (toll-free) or 650-616-2174
• Medi-Cal members, HealthWorx members and San Mateo County ACE participants: Call Member Services at 1-800-750-4776 (toll-free) or 650-616-2133
• Medi-Cal members, if your appeal is about a pharmacy or medicine issue, you will need to file it with Medi-Cal Rx directly.

Complaints about emergency situations

If your complaint involves an imminent and serious threat to your health (including but not limited to severe pain, potential loss of life, limb or major bodily function), you or your provider may request an expedited (fast-tracked) review. If your complaint qualifies, we will resolve it within three days of receipt.

After you file a complaint

Within five business days of receiving your complaint, an HPSM Grievance and Appeals Coordinator will call you to discuss your complaint and review HPSM's complaint process. We will resolve your complaint within 30 days and send you a letter explaining our decision. To ask about the status of an existing complaint, call our Grievance and Appeals Unit.

Any services that were authorized will continue to be provided until your complaint is resolved.