(a) The Commissioner shall act upon every complaint which it receives from a patient, user or consumer of services concerning the quality of health care provided by the health facility or health service. Every board in the Virgin Islands responsible for licensing health professionals shall forward all such complaints from patients, users or consumers to the Commissioner. Patients, users or consumers who wish to file such a complaint may file the complaint directly with the Commissioner within 90 days of the incident.
(b) All complaints submitted to the Commissioner shall be in writing. The Commissioner may furnish appropriate forms to the complainants to aid them in preparing their complaints.
(c) In carrying out his/her duty to act upon each complaint, the Commissioner shall communicate with the health facility or health service and attempt to resolve the complaint. The Commissioner shall request from the health facility or health service all records which are necessary in order to investigate and evaluate the complaint. The Commissioner shall institute disciplinary proceedings and take appropriate disciplinary action, which may include suspension or revocation of the license.
(d) Upon completion of his/her investigation of a complaint, the Commissioner shall issue a report containing his/her findings and recommendations and forward a copy of the report to the complainant who may submit written comments concerning the report to the Commissioner within thirty (30) days. Said comments shall be attached to the report and filed with the report.
(e) The Commissioner shall maintain permanent files of these reports. Title reports shall not be considered public records provided that the complainant and the health facility or health service which is the subject of the complaint or their representative shall be allowed to inspect the record.