Administrative Rules of Montana
Department 24 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY
Chapter 24.225 - BOARD OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Subchapter 24.225.5 - Veterinarian Licensing
Rule 24.225.514 - PATIENT MEDICAL RECORDS AND RECORDKEEPING
Current through Register Vol. 6, March 22, 2024
(1) Patient medical records shall be maintained for every animal accepted and treated by a veterinarian as:
(2) Patient medical records:
(3) In no case do the requirements in this rule eliminate the requirement to maintain drug records as specified by state and federal law and other rules in this chapter.
(4) Veterinarians may substitute the words "herd," "flock," or other collective term in place of the word "patient" when appropriate .
(5) Patient medical records may be kept in a daily log or in the billing records, provided the records meet the requirements of this rule .
(6) Patient medical records must include, but are not limited to the following:
(7) Veterinarians shall indicate by recognizable means on each patient's medical record any treatment the licensee has performed, or which the veterinarian has directed support personnel to perform.
(8) All radiographs referenced in (6) shall be permanently labeled to identify:
(9) Information within patient medical records is privileged and confidential, and may not be released to anyone except the following:
(10) Information within patient medical records must be released upon consent of the owner or authorized person(s). Consent may be in written, electronic, or other form of waiver, and must be documented in the patient's medical record. Confidentiality is waived under the conditions of (12).
(11) When requested by the owner or person(s) authorized by the owner as per (9), copies or summaries of the veterinary medical records and images must be provided by the veterinarian within a reasonable time period and as promptly as required by medical necessity. The veterinary practice may charge a reasonable fee for the preparation of summaries and copying of the records and images.
(12) Veterinary medical information may be disclosed without consent of the owner or person(s) authorized by the owner as follows:
(13) A veterinarian may retain an animal or refuse to release records for failure to pay veterinary bills.
(14) A veterinarian-practice owner terminating practice, retiring, relocating, or selling a practice shall:
(15) A veterinarian may not remove, copy, or use any part of any patient medical records without the express permission of the practice owner or per (9) and (10).
(16) If a veterinarian, based upon the veterinarian's medical opinion, is willing to dispense medication the veterinarian must also provide a prescription in place of said medication should the owner request a prescription.
AUTH: 37-1-131, 37-1-319, MCA IMP: 37-1-131, 37-1-316, 37-1-319, MCA