Why a Medical Authorization Is Usually Required
Medical records are private. Even if you hire a personal injury lawyer, your lawyer generally cannot just “pull” your records from a medical provider without your written permission. Most providers will not release records unless they have a signed authorization that tells them who can receive the records and what can be disclosed.
North Carolina law also recognizes the confidentiality of communications between a patient and a health care provider, and providers typically only furnish confidential medical record information with the patient’s authorization (or a court order in certain situations). See N.C. Gen. Stat. § 8-53.
What You Are (and Aren’t) Agreeing to When You Sign
- You are authorizing release to your law firm: The form usually allows the provider to send records and billing to your lawyer (often including itemized statements).
- You can often narrow the scope: Many authorizations let you limit the date range and the type of records (for example, records related to the accident treatment rather than your entire history).
- Some categories may be treated as extra-sensitive: Many forms call out areas like mental/behavioral health, substance use treatment, or certain infectious disease information. If you have concerns, ask your lawyer what is being requested and why.
- It is not a blank check to the insurance company: A lawyer-request authorization is typically aimed at getting records from providers to support the claim. It is different from signing a broad authorization directly for an insurer or adjuster.
Practical Tips Before You Sign
- Read the “who can receive” section: Make sure it lists your lawyer/law firm (not an unknown third party).
- Check the date range: If the form says “entire chart” or has no dates, ask whether it can be limited to what is reasonably needed for the claim.
- Confirm what the firm is requesting: In many injury claims, the firm requests both records (what happened medically) and bills (the charges), because both can matter for proving damages.
- Ask about revocation: Many authorizations can be revoked in writing, but revocation usually does not affect records already released.
How This Applies
Apply to your situation: Because you received a medical-records authorization along with paperwork tied to your injury claim, signing the authorization is typically what allows the law firm to request your treatment records and billing from the providers who treated you after the accident. Those records can help verify the dates of treatment, work restrictions (if any), and the medical basis for the claim—without you having to personally chase down every record from every provider.
Conclusion
In most North Carolina personal injury cases, a signed medical authorization is the practical way for your lawyer to obtain records and billing directly from your treating providers. You can often limit the authorization to the providers and time period that matter for the accident, and you may be able to revoke it in writing going forward. If anything on the form looks broader than you expected, ask your lawyer to explain what will be requested and why before you sign.
