Health Center shifts doctor’s notes policies

With COVID-19 altering healthcare policies in California and university students reported to be abusing doctor’s notes, the university’s health center affirms new policies for providing doctor’s notes to students. Photo by SIMRAH AHMAD, staff photographer

With COVID-19 constantly on the radar of Chapman University’s Student Health Center and a reported rise of abuse with doctor’s notes on campus, the health center’s policies for providing doctor’s notes have shifted, making them more strictly handed out to students.

Freshman political science major Timea Steingart told The Panther that she inquired about a doctor’s note at the health center but was unable to receive one, despite having flu-like symptoms. 

“Overall, I feel like they really do care about students, and they were really nice and helpful,” Steingart said. “However, I feel like it has just not been communicated how the policy of doctor’s notes (operates). I feel like people have been receiving different feedback regarding if they are allowed to receive doctor’s notes or not.”

Jacqueline Deats, the director of Student Health at Chapman, told The Panther why students like Steingart  may have not received a note. With COVID-19, the process of determining which student needs a note has become challenging for the campus health center.

According to Deats, there is no hard protocol regarding doctor’s notes. Rather, there is a clinical judgment between a health provider and a student on if they are well enough to attend class. Deats recommends that students who may not have initially received a note advocate for themselves and communicate with their provider to create a consensus on if they need a note. 

“The note has been challenging for most universities,” Deats said. “With COVID-19, of course, we don't want anyone to go to class, and therefore there were lots of notes. The question became complicated of who really needs a note.”

Doctor’s note policies on campus have been made more strict because of an attempt to prevent the abuse of unnecessary doctor’s notes on campus, which may also be causing confusion among students about whether they can get one.

Dean of Students Jerry Price touched on the abuse of doctor’s notes occurring on campus.

“Students were coming to the center who were not sick and taking up appointments to get notes, and students who were sick were having trouble getting appointments as they were taken by people who weren’t sick,” Price said.

To minimize the abuse of doctor’s notes and solidify which students truly needed one, Deats and Price determined that the health center front desk can no longer provide notes to students without a consultation with a provider.

“Typically the notes are only from the providers,” Price said. “Only licensed medical providers can diagnose an illness and can provide a note. For any student that has a diagnosable illness, either diagnosable through a test or has clear symptoms that are evident, the providers will provide notes. The people working the front desk cannot do that.”

Rather than asking the front desk, students now must book an appointment and consult with a provider. Once there is a clear diagnosis, symptoms or consensus on feeling too ill to attend classes, a note will be provided. 

Deats and Price also solidified policies regarding undiagnosable and chronic illnesses. 

“There are some students that have a condition, and they know exactly what's going on,” Price said. “They don’t need to go to the doctor every time they have a flare-up, as they know exactly what they need to do. If you have documentation of a chronic condition, then (the Dean of Students Office) doesn’t necessarily need to give you a note each time. We will trust you to have a diagnosable condition and documentation of it, that you are having a flare-up and to excuse it.” 

Although a launch date has not been determined, the campus health center is also in the process of creating an electronic medical record system to make booking appointments and communicating with providers more accessible to students. 

“We don’t want to be Telehealth, but we do think that especially for repeat students that have already been seen and just need a follow-up, this seems to make sense,” Price said. “I do like the idea of it being more clear to students how and when to make appointments. I think the easy transmission of communication between the health center and students, all of that will go easier.”

Steingart agrees that the electronic portal may benefit student communication with the health center. 

“I feel that would be a really good idea and that it would make things much easier, because I did experience several times that the health center was already booked, and I had to go to class when I was not feeling well,” Steingart said.

According to Deats, doctor’s note policies have been a learning curve, and the center is continually working to make things convenient for students. Recent implementations like the future electronic portal are hopeful starts to increase the accessibility and convenience of healthcare for students. 

“We need a more robust way to track and trace, and this electronic portal can hopefully do that,” Deats said. “Ultimately, our goal is to get you in and get you seen. Our students are amazing. Our goal is to help students get better and back in class.”