You deserve reasonable accommodations to access safe, in-person medical care without the risk of COVID-19 exposure. No one should be infected because healthcare providers refuse to follow the science of airborne transmission or wear a mask. As a patient, asking for mask accommodations for medical appointments can be intimidating and is often met with resistance or even refusal. Here’s how to make the process easier—and how to assert your rights so they comply.
It is unfortunate that we have to advocate like this for our own safety in medical situations, but that is where we are. If you are turned down or ignored by one provider, don’t give up. Keep calling and reaching out until you find someone who will keep you safe. It can be aggravating and take extra energy, but don’t give up. I hope this page helps to make the process more bearable.
The three most important things to prioritize and ask for when making your appointments :
- Insist that anyone entering your exam room wears a well-fitted N95 or KN95 respirator—not a surgical mask or cloth face covering. These higher-grade respirators are the only masks proven to significantly block airborne transmission. It’s your right to request this as part of a reasonable accommodation for a safe environment.
- Ask for the first appointment of the day. COVID-19 can linger in the air for hours after an infected person has left the room. Since over 35% of infected people show no symptoms but can still transmit the virus, the safest option is to book the earliest appointment available—before the space has been occupied by other patients. Cleaner air = lower risk.
- Avoid crowded waiting rooms. Since most other patients will not be masked, you can significantly reduce your risk by waiting outside or in your car until your appointment. Request this in advance, and ask that a staff member call or text you when they’re ready to bring you directly into the exam room. If the facility has a separate or back entrance, they may allow you to use that as well—don’t hesitate to ask.
How To Make Your Official Request
Front desk staff are often not trained—or authorized—to handle accommodation requests. From personal experiences, they will sometimes outright deny care and tell you to go elsewhere. They do not have the legal right to do this. If you experience this issue, contact your state’s medical board or department of health to file a report.
If you’re scheduling an appointment with a doctor affiliated with a medical group or a corporate health system (such as Mayo Clinic, Weill Cornell, or NYU Langone), a good place to start is by contacting the Patient Relations or Patient Advocacy departments with your request. This information is often not easy to find, but it’s typically located at the very bottom menu of the institution’s main website. For example, here is the link to NYU’s patient relations.
For smaller offices, try asking for the patient care coordinator or office manager. If they ask you why, tell them you are requesting (or disability accommodations if that applies) for your appointment. Sometimes it is easier to make the appointment without mentioning accommodations and then follow up after. This way, you have actual proof if they deny you care for the request.
General Sample letter
(Feel free to copy paste for use and change to your own wording and details as needed).
Hello,
I hope you’re well. I’m reaching out to request a few simple COVID-safe accommodations for my upcoming appointment with (insert doctor here) on (insert date and time here). I have medical conditions that put me at higher risk for complications, so I would really appreciate your help in making my visit as safe as possible. My requests are the following:
- That the provider and any staff working directly with me wear a high-quality mask like a KN95 or N95 during our time together.
- I’m scheduled as the first appointment of the day to help minimize potential airborne exposure.
- That I can wait outside or in my car rather than in the main waiting room, and be called or texted when it’s time to head in. And if there’s a separate entrance I might use to avoid busy common areas, I’d be very grateful — but totally understand if that’s not available!
Thank you again for your time and understanding—your willingness to honor these precautions makes a huge difference in high-risk patients like me being able to safely access medical care. I can be reached at (phone number here) to chat further about making arrangements.
Sincerely,
(your name here)
Phone Call Script Ideas
Hi,
My name is (your name here). I have an upcoming appointment with (doctor here), and I was hoping to speak with the practice manager about accommodation requests related to COVID precautions.
I have some underlying conditions that make me higher risk for COVID complications, so I have to be extra careful.
So, if it’s possible, I’d really appreciate if the doctor and anyone working directly with me could wear a KN95 or N95 mask. (You can offer to provide them in advance or bring them with you, sealed, if they claim not to have any) .
It would also be great if you could book me for the first appointment of the day — or as early as possible…so many people are asymptomatic, and it helps make sure nothing is lingering in the air.
And one last thing…would it be ok for me to wait in my car instead of the waiting room, and get a call or text when it’s time to come in? And if there’s any kind of side or separate entrance I could use, that would be amazing — but no worries if not!
If the person is agreeable, make sure to get their name for follow-ups and ask who you should contact in the morning of the appt. when you arrive. Contact them directly the day prior to make sure everyone is on the same page and they don’t forget.
If you live in the United States, The People’s CDC has a guide to which ADA law you can cite that qualifies you to “full and equal access to health care services under federal law (28 C.F.R. § 35.151 (Title II); 28 C.F.R. Part 36, Subpart D (Title III)).” Their sample letter has more rules than most offices I’ve dealt with would accommodate—I usually get better results with something a bit more approachable, like the one above.