5.50H ALTERATION OF MEDICAL RECORDS
Physicians have a duty to ensure that all treatment records accurately reflect the treatment or services rendered. Corrections or changes to entries may be made only where the change is clearly identified as such, dated and initialed by the person making the change. In fact, it is against the law in this State to alter medical records with the intent to deceive or mislead anyone.
The alteration of medical records is admissible as evidence of a defendant’s own belief that the actual records do not support his defense. If you find that the doctor altered the medical records with the intent to deceive or mislead anyone, you may infer that the alteration of the records in this case occurred because the doctor believed that the original record would have been unfavorable in the trial of this matter.
