Question

The medical assistant mistakenly opens an item of incoming mail marked "personal" addressed to the physician. What action should the medical assistant take?

1) write "return to sender" on the outside of the envelope and initial
2) reseal the envelope with clear tape
3) write "opened in error" on the outside of the envelope and initial
4) continue to process the item as usual

Answer 1

The right action for a medical assistant who opens mail marked "personal" for a physician is to mark the envelope "opened in error" with their initials.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a medical assistant accidentally opens an item of incoming mail marked "personal" addressed to the physician, the correct action to take would be to write "opened in error" on the outside of the envelope and initial it. This is to show that the item was not intentionally opened and provides transparency about the mistake. Resealing the envelope or writing "return to sender" could give the impression of tampering or disregarding the physician's personal communication, while continuing to process as usual ignores the privacy breach.