united-states medical hipaa
Authorizing Assistants for Medical Work
<p>I have an assistant who handles nearly all scheduling and administration for me, personal and work.</p>
<p>We sometimes run into trouble when a new medical/dental office says, &quot;I'm sorry, I can't talk to you, I need to talk to the patient.&quot; This means me calling, waiting on hold, transferring to the correct line...I'm sure you're familiar with the US healthcare system. Sometimes they won't even accept when I say that my assistant speaks for me. Even when they do, it's a hassle for every new provider.</p>
<p>How does one authorize them? I have trouble imagining Jeff Bezos schedules his own colonoscopies.</p>

<p>That release needs to be provided in writing to each legal entity (read: office) that provides you with medical care. Providing the release verbally (ie: <em>'I say that my assistant speaks for me</em>') does not cut it; the offices that agreed are technically in jeopardy of some hefty fines and are just trusting you won't turn around and report them. Most offices are going to have their own forms for this and won't accept some generic letter that you write up, sign, and send all of them.</p>
<p>Have your assistant call each office and ask for them to fax over a copy of their release form. List your assistant as an authorized contact, sign it, and send it back to them.</p>
