Revised: Aug. 2009
When an optometrist changes offices or retires from practice, patients have a right to expect that information in their clinical records will be available to them. You have obligation to make arrangements with your patients for access to or transfer of their records when you relocate your office or retires from practice.
There are a number of ways that this may be accomplished. However, you are reminded that such records are confidential, that in the case where you retain the records then patients should be aware of how to contact you, and, in the case where you have transferred your files to another optometrist, patients should be informed of this transfer. You should have an understanding with the optometrist receiving the records that he or she will give you access to those records in the future should that be required.