Beaglesareourlife Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Hi I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on the subject of hip xrays. I had both of my beagles hips xrayed last week and to my surprise was told that the xrays remained the property of the vet? They did not really even want to show them to me until I was quite insistent! When I have had xrays and have paid for them they are mine to have so is this normal practise for a vet? Any advice would be appreciated thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie-boy Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Yes Xrays do remain the property of the Veterinary Practice that took them although they should have no problems showing them to you and likewise should let you have them copied if you want a copy for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 (edited) Depends which vet you used. For example Murdoch university charge mega bucks for x rays & yes you dont own them & to buy copies is $$$$. All the other vets we use we get given them no questions asked & the last set i had done was given to me on disc so i could just email. The vets we use dont want to keep them as there space wasters Edited May 5, 2009 by settrlvr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I have both sets of Poppy's leg xrays that Melbourne University did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckle Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I found the info below on the Veterinary Practioners Board of NSW. It may be different in other states however. Retention of Radiographs and other Records This is an area of constant concern to veterinarians but the Veterinary Practice Regulation 2006 gives veterinarians clear instructions on responsibilities concerning all records. Schedule 2 of the Regulations Veterinary practitioners code of conduct (15) Records. states: “(1) A veterinary practitioner must ensure that a detailed record of any consultation, procedure or treatment is made as soon as it is practicable (2) The record [a] must be legible and in sufficient detail to enable another veterinarian to continue treatment of the animal, and must include the results of any diagnostic test, analysis and treatments. (3) A veterinary practitioner must ensure that all records of any consultation, procedure or treatment are retained for at least 3 years after they are made.” The taking of a series of radiographs of yearling horses is a procedure that clearly falls into this category. Veterinarians must retain, store and archive these radiographs after they have been made available to other veterinarians. This requirement continues after any sale of the horse. The radiographs must be made available to other veterinarians if the consent of the owner at the time at they were taken is given, on request, during the 3 year period of retention. In the code of conduct following (10) Provision of records [detailing provision of records to another veterinarian in the case of second opinion or referral] is (11) Return of records A veterinary practitioner to whom another veterinary practitioner has referred an animal for treatment or a second opinion must return records provided by the referring veterinary practitioner as soon as practicable. Remember the new Regulations are in effect and the 3 year period applies from 1st September 2006. Procedures carried out prior to this date have a retention time of at least 2 years. Veterinarians are encouraged to factor the cost of record retention and archiving into their original fee structure for such procedures if that is seen to be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Did that answer the question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 (edited) I have been given copies of xrays that I have had done going back about 6 - 7 yrs ago and ones done a few weeks ago. I thought it was the done thing....everyone I know who has had them done all get their own copies too. Edited May 5, 2009 by Andisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckle Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Did that answer the question? Yes, I believe it did answer the question. I found this on the Australian Veterinary Association website, it may answer the question a little more clearly. "17.3 - Retention of medical records and diagnostic images Policy Medical records and diagnostic images remain the property of the veterinarian or practice, not the client, and must be retained for legal reasons. Clients are entitled to view and obtain copies of records and images. If a copy of the report or image is requested, it should be provided at the client’s expense. If a copy is requested by someone other than the client, such as another veterinarian, the client’s written authority to provide such a copy to that third person should be obtained." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Sorry I meant by 'did that answer the question' - that I don't think that answered the question, that referred to making clinical notes and the keeping of foal xrays or did I miss something? If you're paying big bucks as you one usually does for xrays then you should be able to take them with you if you wish to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Medical records and diagnostic images remain the property of the veterinarian or practice, not the client, and must be retained for legal reasons. I wonder what specificaly those legal reasons are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Yes, the xrays do "belong" to the vet. Doesn't sound right, but this is the case. If you have a good vet and go back, you WANT them to have the Xrays as part of the dog;'s medical history. Similar story with medical records when you go to hospital. I asked to "borrow" them to show the breeder and they said yes. I took them back after a couple of days. I took photos of them (using an Xray board). When I moved interstate, I asked the vet if I could have the XRays and they gave them to me as a goodwill thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaglesareourlife Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 Thanks for all the input i appreciate it Regards Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 As stated from the NSW-VPB and AVA the radiographs remain the property of the veterinary hospital and must be retained. It might not seem fair but that the way it works, we must retain evidence of the results of any diagnostic tests performed, which includes taking radiographs. The other thing that makes it complicated is that you are not the patient - and veterinary patients are not responsible for their own health. What you pay for is not the film, so much as the procedure of taking diagnostic images and then the interpretation of those images by your veterinarian. You're free to request copies - this is easy with digital radiography, but a digital camera can be used to take clear photos of them, or if advised before hand double film can be used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 This is not right. When I do X-rays for myself I always get them to keep. That way it is easier when you go to different specialists to bring them on. I wonder if you want to change vet for your dog, would those x-rays be accessible by your new vet? If no, and you would have to pay again for new x-rays, that it's nothing but rip-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 If you move to a new practice, you may request that the previous practice forward the medical record and radiographs to your new vet. The transfer is normally done between the practices however in some cases (international or interstate transfer) you may have the radiographs released to you. Other medical records are usually posted, faxed or email directly to the new practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 If you move to a new practice, you may request that the previous practice forward the medical record and radiographs to your new vet. The transfer is normally done between the practices however in some cases (international or interstate transfer) you may have the radiographs released to you. Other medical records are usually posted, faxed or email directly to the new practice. Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Kuntz Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Remember, you have another option. Most people have a digital camera these days. Turn the flash off, go in a dark room with an xray viewer (in the practice), put the camera on a stable surface about 30-40 cm from the film and take a photo. I do this routinely and the quality of the image is quite good, as long as the flash is off and the camera is on a stable surface (or tripod). I cannot see a vet having a problem with your doing this. These images are often of diagnostic quality. We use them to get second opinions from other specialists via the internet. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aequus Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I actually scan the xrays then return them to the vet. I then have a great copy on the computer and he retains the originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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