The Medical Authorization Form: What It Is And Why You Got One

A Medical Authorization Form is essentially a form asking for permission to obtain your medical records and bills directly from your healthcare providers following a car accident. Whether your claim is a Med Pay claim with your own insurance company or a Bodily Injury claim with the other driver’s insurance company, you will likely be asked to sign one. An authorization letter which accompanies the form (presented below from the other driver’s insurer) may look something like this:

Dear Mr. Jones,


Enclosed you will find an authorization form which you must sign and return to us as quickly as possible. This will allow us to obtain medical records from your treating health care providers and medical bills incurred as a result of your accident with our insured so we may evaluate your claim in a timely fashion. A return envelope is enclosed.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Tom Stine, Adjuster

The adjuster needs to obtain copies of your doctor’s notes, the hospital records, prescriptions you may have been given, bills for treatment, and any other documentation related to your injuries in order to investigate your claim and to determine how much to offer you to settle it. In addition to medical documents, the insurance company may also ask you to sign an authorization allowing them to request your work records from your employer if you are claiming lost wages.

While an authorization saves you from having to collect this documentation from your healthcare providers yourself, keep in mind that insurance companies don’t do this to be helpful; they do it to get information about you!

CAUTION: Watch the wording of the authorization. If, by signing it, you are providing them with the ability to obtain any and all of your medical records, whether related to the accident or not, some of the information may be used against you in negotiating a settlement of your claim. If you are not sure what the authorization is requesting, you should certainly consult an auto accident attorney before signing it.
Note that if you are unable to reach a settlement of your claim with the insurance company and you eventually file suit against the responsible driver, the other driver’s attorney is likely to subpoena (make a legal demand for) all of your medical records and all of your employment records if there is any reason for them to believe they might be relevant to the evaluation of your case.