Handling medical appointments, etc. for college student
How do other parents handle medical care/appointments for their young adult children? Mine is at college on the East Coast and it is difficult to coordinate the medical care. Normally this hasn't been a problem but something has come up where she has been referred to a specialist.
Dec 19, 2016
Parent Replies
It's the child's responsibility. If your daughter is over the age of 18, no practitioner should even speak to you unless you have a power of attorney authorizing you to share in her medical decisions.
It has been a problem for me and at times I could not even make an appointment for my child. Your child must sign a form that provides you access to her medical records, etc. The insurance has the form. Then you will be able to make appointments and coordinate the medical care. Make sure you provide a copy of it to her main doctor, too.
This is such a difficult area once they leave home! Because of HIPAA - she does have to give permission for HCPs to speak to you. You can get forms and have daughter fill it out, make copies. Ask each office how to get that done, then instruct your daughter. She's probably afraid :/ (As if all of a sudden the minute they hit college they have a complete brain change and are able to deal with all this. It is totally ridiculous - but the way that it is.) Our experience - child wants the help, it's all in the way we ask permission to help them. And for docs they didn't want to give permission - I would just write emails/letters to the doc to explain my take on the situation. My son was so depressed and couldn't get to class one semester I called the psychiatrist at the health center. She said he had to reach out. I asked if she had ever been depressed?! And if my son committed suicide maybe she might feel responsible? crazy system.... good luck! both mine ended up ok - but we stayed on top of situations. It was just too much for them to handle school and medical all alone/away from home. Depending on the situation, before any meds - consider a functional medicine doc who can do all necessary testing to see if perhaps a nutritional deficiency - so many kids are low in D, Bs, magnesium, etc etc.