My veterinarian will not call me with blood work results after repeated requests for information

Modified on Tue, 16 Jan at 3:53 PM

According to the Regents' Rules, Section 29.1 (https://www.op.nysed.gov/title8/rules-board-regents/part-29), unprofessional conduct includes "failing to make available to a patient or client, upon request, copies of documents in the possession or under the control of the licensee which have been prepared for and paid for by the patient or client."  If your veterinarian has in his/her possession the blood work report (or if he/she can obtain a copy), and if you have paid for that blood work to be done, then you are entitled to know what the results are and to have a copy of the report.  You are also entitled to notify the licensing body for veterinarians in New York State, which is the NYS Department of Education (NYSED), when you believe that a case of unprofessional conduct needs to be investigated.

If the doctor and/or veterinary staff continue to deny your request for information, you may want to notify them in writing that you're aware of the unprofessional conduct rule, and that you know how to file a complaint through NYSED's Office of Professional Discipline (see below).

You can register a complaint about a veterinarian or practice with the NY State Education Department, which can investigate and impose penalties since it’s the licensing body for professionals in New York.  Their investigations can take some time, but they do get done. See https://www.op.nysed.gov/enforcement/enforcement-actions for a list of previous enforcement actions, searchable by the veterinarians’ last name.

This page has basic information about investigation and prosecution of professional misconduct in NY State: https://www.op.nysed.gov/enforcement/frequently-asked-questions. You can get phone and email contact information there.

This is a link to the complaint form instructions: https://www.op.nysed.gov/enforcement/professional-misconduct-enforcement

And this is a link to the complaint form itself: https://www.op.nysed.gov/sites/op/files/2022-08/opd-complaint.pdf

 

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