Has anyone ever asked for a general signed “Release of Medical Records” from a seller to research a sales horse’s medical history? I started thinking of this after researching a sales horse where the seller disclosed a very minor injury from 2 years ago and stated there was nothing since…then you go on Facebook and see posts about more recent, serious injury that required a trip to a University…I used to work for a medical malpractice attorney and all the new clients had to sign a generic release of medical records form that we sent to every medical person the client saw. Wondering if this would work for vet records for a buyer to ask for?
You can ask but they do not have to sign it.
I provide a copy of any and all vet records we have with every horse that sells.
All horses are seen by a vet the first few days we get them, so it starts there.
Vet has permission to answer any questions about that horse the buyer may come up with.
This protects both, seller with full disclosure, buyer that knows what has happened with the horse all along, if any.
I believe the sellers could also release “partial records.” I’d be worried that if they didn’t outright refuse to release records, they wouldn’t release records related to the more serious injury you referred to.
I will not buy a horse unless the seller will authorize their vet(s) to release all records to me.
How do you know the Seller is not using multiple vets, a large clinic, University etc? That is why I was curious is anyone ever got a blanket release instead of depending on the Seller to provide the records.
It goes back to being a smart buyer but then if you see a reason to mistrust the Seller, maybe move on.
[QUOTE=ToTheNines;7925299]
I will not buy a horse unless the seller will authorize their vet(s) to release all records to me.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=NJRider;7925307]
How do you know the Seller is not using multiple vets, a large clinic, University etc? That is why I was curious is anyone ever got a blanket release instead of depending on the Seller to provide the records.
It goes back to being a smart buyer but then if you see a reason to mistrust the Seller, maybe move on.[/QUOTE]
Well, we have only used this same vet clinic for decades now, so no question who we use.
The last horse we just bought, on the first exam, the vet also took front feet x-rays, to have on file, as those any more seem to be a requirement when selling.
That horse will be trained for about half a year and then sold and whoever buys him may want those records and if they want a pre-purchase exam, those will help their vet.
If you don’t trust a seller, it is good to keep on looking, I would say.
Best way to buy a horse for an individual is not to play the buyer’s lottery, get with a trainer and see what is out there that trainers know about, have seen those horses before with different owners and know which is coming up for sale that may be suitable.
No surprises there and the advantage that the horse has a steady value in that market, if for some reason the buyer has to sell later.
[QUOTE=NJRider;7925307]
How do you know the Seller is not using multiple vets, a large clinic, University etc? That is why I was curious is anyone ever got a blanket release instead of depending on the Seller to provide the records.
It goes back to being a smart buyer but then if you see a reason to mistrust the Seller, maybe move on.[/QUOTE]
Would vets provide records from a blanket release? For human records it needs to be addressed to the specific facility (patient x authorizes doctor/hospital y to release records to party z).
with consent of the seller we just have our vet contact their vet to exchange information, we paid what ever fee they requested. After images were transferred (by mail) on one promising horse in Billings we declined to proceed with the purchase.
No one was pissed, everything was clearly handled we just felt the risk of complications from a prior injury were greater than what we desired to take on
This was specifically driven by the advise of our vet after review of the horse’s file of the attending vet
All was handled 1,400 miles apart before the internet
[QUOTE=Coanteen;7925317]
Would vets provide records from a blanket release? For human records it needs to be addressed to the specific facility (patient x authorizes doctor/hospital y to release records to party z).[/QUOTE]
Thats what my clinic does, owner, horse and current date required to authorize.
[QUOTE=Peaches;7925297]
I believe the sellers could also release “partial records.” I’d be worried that if they didn’t outright refuse to release records, they wouldn’t release records related to the more serious injury you referred to.[/QUOTE]
I’m sure it differs among vets, but mine won’t do a partial release. Had this discussion when I was selling a horse this year and buyer wanted the records – my vet is “all or nothing.” Of course, as someone else said, I could have used another vet for something and not disclose that. Honestly, if someone is going to lie, signing a paper that they will disclose everything isn’t going to stop them. It isn’t just true of horse sellers, but people in general, says cynical me.
“All or nothing” makes sense from the vet’s point of view. They don’t want to be in the position of making a judgement about what might or might not be relevant from a buyer’s perspective.
If I were advising a vet and they asked me about a “to whom it may concern” request for records I’d advise against honoring it. I used to work for an insurance company that wrote malpractice insurance and gave this same advice to our insureds. Any request for records must be specific to the animal and signed by the horse’s owner at the time services were rendered.
As a seller I have no problem signing a release with the vets I’ve used.
G.
vet records belong to the vet, not the client. Same with the radiographs. Often radiographs will only be directly transferred to another vet facility.
any release authorization must name the specific vet and clinic and cannot be blanket
the vet would want a copy of the release for their records
Some vets that have done PPEs for me, have had the seller sign a document disclosing all prior vet work and health issues. I have never had a seller release vet records, but I have released vet records to buyers. I usually do this if the horse has a known issue and I want it to have the best chance of being properly taken care of. (such as a horse that needs hock injections)
Only once and it was for a lease. The prospective lessee was using my vet clinic (large with many vets) for a “PPE” that wasn’t really a PPE because the horse wasn’t being sold. My vet asked me to sign a release, otherwise they wouldn’t do it for the prospective lessee. Having absolutely nothing to hide, I signed it.
[QUOTE=hoopoe;7925390]
vet records belong to the vet, not the client. Same with the radiographs. Often radiographs will only be directly transferred to another vet facility.[/QUOTE]
Do they? In human medicine the information belongs to the patient/client, but the physical stored…stuff to the doc. The doc has to keep the records for a certain period of time. But the medical info belongs to the client, and has to be released to them on request, with payment of any reasonable printing/copying type fees.
[QUOTE=Coanteen;7925469]
Do they? In human medicine the information belongs to the patient/client, but the physical stored…stuff to the doc. The doc has to keep the records for a certain period of time. But the medical info belongs to the client, and has to be released to them on request, with payment of any reasonable printing/copying type fees.[/QUOTE]
This was my experience both personally and professionally.
G.
As a seller, I always offer a release of veterinary records. In many cases because I am the breeder, I am the only owner of the horse so the vet records are complete. My consignments also must release all vet records that they have to me and agree to their release to a buyer. I like being open and straightforward about what I am offering when I sell a horse. I’ve found that openness helps with sales, too.
The vet records (notes and treatment records) belong to the client but the client has to sign or verbally release the records to go anywhere else. Xray files were kept at the clinic but shared with another vet at owner’s request, we would release them to the client if they requested. I worked at three different veterinary/surgical clinics and that is how they all operated. Of course today it is easier to keep and share xrays since they are digitalized but they still belong to the person who owned the animal and paid the bills. Of course the vet keeps files on their patients but they sure as heck don’t control where they go.
Radiographs are not the property of the owner–they are part of the medical record, and should be retained by the clinic/DVM. There are regulations in most, i not all states regarding how long these records need to be maintained.
What the owner has “paid for” is the performance of the study and the interpretation of the rads.
They are entitled to copies of said radiographs for a reasonable duplication fee.
(of course, digital radiography has made the providing of copies to owners a pretty common practice.)
