Release of Vet Records

None of the clinics I worked for charged the clients for their radiographs. Here is what Meghan had to say about this on another thread on this subject.

MeghanDACVA

Aug. 28, 2011, 09:29 AM

There are 2 legalities to this.
Legally they are yours. They are your medical records and you paid for them.
However, legally the veterinarian must retain records for some number of years (varies from state to state) and these are part of the record.

I don’t get why your vet couldn’t make copies. You can put the original radiograph in the cassette on top of a new piece of film and “re-take” the film. It will take some fiddling for them to find the right setting on the machine but once they get it, it is simple.

Way back when I did equine I just bought a box of duplicating film and when I had to send copies out I made a copy. Different technique but same idea. I did charge for it since it took additional film and time.

Or, he could take them to a human hospital (surely he has a working relationship with one?) and they could make a copy. For a fee I am sure.

Yes, you can take a “good quality” digit photograph but it is not as easy as it sounds to get a really good quality pic, esp if you are looking for subtle changes. You need a light box for one thing. You need to get at just the right angle in all planes. And there is glare to deal with. I used to do this in our ECC to copy rads I really liked and wanted to keep copies of my computer. Before we had digitial. Far from ideal.

Just a random sample of the applicable rules:

Veterinary practice act for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (bolding mine)

[h=3]5.01: Medical Records/h A licensee shall maintain a legible record for each patient. The identity of the author of all medical records shall be clearly noted on all records by either signature or initials. A licensee shall keep all original medical records and radiographs readily available for four years after the last contact with the animal. Upon the request of the owner, a licensee shall provide copies of medical records and radiographs to the owner of an animal or another veterinarian. A reasonable fee may be charged for the cost of such copies.

California: (bolding mine)

©(1) Radiographs and digital images are the property of the veterinary facility that originally ordered them to be prepared. Radiographs or digital images shall be released to another veterinarian upon the request of another veterinarian who has the authorization of the client. Radiographs shall be returned to the veterinary facility which originally ordered them to be prepared within a reasonable time upon request. Radiographs originating at an emergency hospital shall become the property of the next attending veterinary facility upon receipt of said radiograph(s). Transfer of radiographs shall be documented in the medical record.

Pennsylvania (bolding mine)

(5) Retention of records. Records shall be maintained for a minimum of 3 years from the date that the patient was last treated by the veterinarian.
(6) Ownership and use of records. The records of a veterinary practice are the sole property of that facility, and when a veterinarian leaves salaried employment therein, the departing veterinarian may not copy, remove or make subsequent use of the records, without the consent of the owner of the veterinary practice.
(7) Radiographs. A radiograph is the property of the veterinary practice that originally ordered it to be prepared. Radiographs shall be properly identified by hospital name, date, name of client, name of patient and positional marker. A radiograph shall be released upon the written request of another veterinarian who has the written authorization of the client. The radiograph shall be returned to the veterinary practice that originally ordered it to be prepared within a reasonable time.

(8) Release of information to clients. A veterinarian shall release a summary or a copy of the veterinary medical records of a patient to the client within 3 business days of receipt of the client’s written request. A veterinarian may charge a reasonable fee for duplicating veterinary medical records and for preparation of veterinary medical record file summaries for release to clients. A veterinarian may not withhold the release of veterinary medical records or summaries to clients for nonpayment of a professional fee. The release of veterinary medical records or summaries to clients under these circumstances does not constitute a waiver by the veterinarian of the fee claimed.