Medical Letter for Flight Change Due to Bone Biopsy
A medical letter supporting flight changes for a patient requiring a bone biopsy should clearly document the medical necessity of the procedure and explain why it required rescheduling a family vacation.
Essential Components of the Medical Letter
1. Patient and Physician Information
- Patient's full name and date of birth
- Physician's name, credentials, medical license number
- Hospital/clinic letterhead with contact information
- Date of letter
2. Medical Necessity Documentation
- Clearly state that the bone biopsy was medically necessary and urgent
- Include the specific diagnosis or suspected condition requiring investigation
- Document that the procedure could not be postponed 1
- Explain that bone biopsies are specialized procedures that require:
3. Timing Details
- Specific date when the bone biopsy was scheduled
- Confirmation that the procedure date conflicted with previously scheduled travel
- Statement that the medical need arose unexpectedly after travel was booked
- Explanation that rescheduling the procedure would have caused unacceptable delays in diagnosis and treatment 1
4. Impact on Travel Plans
- Document that the patient had to change flights for spouse and child
- Specify the original travel dates and the new travel dates
- Explain that the change was directly due to the medical necessity of the bone biopsy
5. Financial Compensation Request
- Clear statement supporting the patient's request for financial compensation
- Explanation that the flight changes were unavoidable due to medical circumstances
- Confirmation that the bone biopsy could not be safely postponed without potential impact on morbidity and mortality outcomes 1
Sample Letter Format
[Hospital/Clinic Letterhead]
[Date]
To Whom It May Concern:
RE: Medical Necessity for Travel Change - [Patient's Full Name, DOB]
This letter confirms that my patient, [Patient's Full Name], required an urgent bone biopsy procedure on [specific date]. This procedure was medically necessary to [brief explanation of medical reason] and could not be postponed without potential negative impact on the patient's health outcomes.
The need for this procedure was identified after [Patient] had already booked family vacation travel for [original dates]. Due to the specialized nature of bone biopsies, which require coordination with trained personnel for proper specimen collection and analysis, the procedure could only be scheduled on [procedure date], directly conflicting with the previously arranged travel plans.
As a result, [Patient] was required to change the flights for his wife and child from [original dates] to [new dates]. These changes were directly necessitated by medical circumstances beyond the patient's control.
I support [Patient's] request for financial compensation related to these flight changes, as they were unavoidable and directly caused by a medically necessary procedure.
Please feel free to contact me at [phone number] if additional information is required.
Sincerely,
[Physician's signature]
[Physician's printed name]
[Medical license number]
[Contact information]Important Considerations
Privacy protection: Ensure the letter contains only necessary medical information to support the claim while protecting patient privacy 1
Accuracy: Be precise about dates and medical necessity without exaggeration 1
Professional tone: Maintain a formal, professional tone throughout the letter
Follow-up contact: Provide clear contact information for any additional questions from the airline or travel insurance company
Documentation: Keep a copy of the letter in the patient's medical record
The letter should be concise but comprehensive enough to clearly establish the connection between the medical necessity of the bone biopsy and the unavoidable travel changes, supporting the patient's request for financial compensation.