Q&A: Providing a doctor's note for a non-patient

Q: One of my coworkers had to call out of work to take her mother to the hospital, and her employer required a doctor’s note. It’s not the employee’s doctor, and anything mentioned would be relevant only to her mother. I suppose the doctor could say “Jill Jones was here with mother on [date], signed Dr. Smith,” but that sounds odd to me.

Can a doctor provide a doctor’s note for the person who brought his or her patient to the hospital or appointment?

A: Yes. The physician’s office could provide a note stating that an individual was there on a specific date to bring a family member to an appointment. The note should not include any information about the patient’s diagnoses and, ideally, would not name the patient.

Editor’s note: Mary D. Brandt, MBA, RHIA, CHE, CHPS, is a healthcare consultant specializing in healthcare regulatory compliance and operations improvement. She is also an advisory board member for BOH. This information does not constitute legal advice. Consult legal counsel for answers to specific privacy and security questions. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent HCPro or ACDIS. Email your HIPAA questions to Associate Editor Heidi Samuelson at hsamuelson@hcpro.com.