At Animal Medical Hospital, we maintain electronic medical records on every patient. Indiana has implemented regulations to protect the privacy of animals’ medical records similar to the human patients’ medical records known as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). According to (2022) Indiana Code, an animal’s veterinary medical records and medical condition must be furnished within five (5) business days without written client authorization under the following circumstances:
- Access to the records is specifically required by a state or federal statute.
- An order by a court with jurisdiction in a civil or criminal action upon the court’s issuance of a subpoena and notice to the client or client’s legal representative.
- As part of an inspection or investigation conducted by the board or an agent of the board
- As part of a request from a regulatory or health authority, physician, or veterinarian:
- To verify a rabies vaccination of an animal; or
- To investigate a threat to human or animal health, or for the protection of animal or public health and welfare.
- To a law enforcement agency as part of a criminal investigation.
An animal’s veterinary medical records and medical condition may be furnished without written client authorization under the following circumstances:
- To the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University, the animal disease diagnostic laboratory, or a state agency or commission. However, an animal’s veterinary medical records remain confidential unless the information is disclosed in a manner allowed under this section.
- Veterinary medical records that are released by the board of animal health when in the judgement of the state veterinarian the disclosure is necessary or helpful in advancing animal health or protecting public health.
- For statistical and scientific research, if the information is abstracted in a way as to protect the identity of the animal and the client.
For your convenience, we have a multi-purpose form below which can be printed, e-mailed or texted to you. It includes an authorization to release your pet’s records when you ask us to. You may also use this form to notify us of changes in your address, phone numbers and/or contact information.
