Originally Posted by
boerne
Any MD can write one, including somebody who is retired, or not board certified, or your next door neighbor, so yes its pretty easy. And cats are way worse than dogs, if you look at the links I provided. Most anesthesiologists are MDs or DOs, and they can do the letter. Bring on the pitbulls....
Isn't the person required to be a patient of the medical doctor writing the letter?
Also, even if ACA permits any medical doctor to write such a letter, what would medical ethics say about a doctor providing a letter for the neighbor or a relative? However, I guess there couldn't be any medical ethics sanctions possible against a retired doctor or a doctor who isn't licensed to practice medicine.
IMO board certification is a somewhat different criterion in that if any doctor such as a GP can write the letter, board certification wouldn't matter. Many specialists would be board certified (and a GP could be board certified in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, or whatever), but unless the board certification is in psychiatry or something similar (maybe gerontology?), that expertise would be irrelevant for verifying the need for the emotional support animal, except possibly if the doctor is a specialist is rehabilitation but I don't know what the relevant board certified specialty would be.