Millhouse Veterinary Service

Radiograph’s….Who owns them?

The answer is simple, the veterinarian who took the x-rays. Many veterinarians run into this situation. The images themselves (the film or other medium) remain the property of the veterinarian who ordered or took the radiographs. The diagnosis, which is the result of the radiographs, is the service the client has paid for. The reason the radiographs are kept by the veterinarian is so there is a complete medical history of the horse on record. Maintaining complete records is not exclusive to equine medicine; it works the same way in human medicine. The law requires that veterinarians keep radiographs on file for a specific period of time, which will vary by state, in Minnesota; it is 3 years after the last visit.

Here is the MinnesotaState Law
on radiographs and medical records:

Medical records and radiographs are the physical property of the hospital or the proprietor of the practice that prepared them. Records must be maintained for a minimum of three years after the last visit. Radiographs must be maintained for a minimum of three years.

Medical records, or an accurate summary of them, must be released to the animal owner or the owner's authorized agent, including The Board of Veterinary Medicine, within two weeks of a written request. A reasonable charge for copying or preparation of a summary may be made.

A radiograph must be permanently identified. It must be released on the written request of another veterinarian who has the written authorization of the owner of the animal to whom it pertains. The radiograph must be returned within a reasonable time to the practice which originally prepared the radiograph.

Contents of medical records must be kept private and not released to third parties unless authorized by the client or required by law.