A Minnesota family physician who is being investigated for the fifth time in the past 17 months by the state medical board for statements related to COVID-19, says the board is now requesting to see medical records of his patients who were prescribed ivermectin.
Dr. Scott Jensen received a notification from the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice two days before Christmas informing him of their request for the records.
“And last night, when I got home after shopping with the grandchildren, I have this letter from the board of medical practice,” Jensen said in a video on Dec. 24.
He added that the board said, “In your response, you indicated that you’ve prescribed ivermectin to some of your patients for treatment of COVID-19. Pursuant to the board’s investigation of this matter, please provide the following records … copies of medical records for the most recent three to five patients to whom you’ve prescribed ivermectin to treat COVID-19.”
The board cited Subdivision 3 of the Minnesota Physician Accountability Act that allows it to “have access to hospital and medical records of a patient treated by the physician under review if the patient signs a written consent permitting such access. If no consent form has been signed, the hospital or physician shall first delete data in the record which identifies the patient before providing it to the board.”
Ruth Martinez, executive director at the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, told The Epoch Times via email that the board “routinely requests patient records to develop factual findings during investigations,” adding that the doctors are “required to fully cooperate with a Board investigation.”
Martinez also said that “the Board has subpoena authority to obtain records, when necessary.”
Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, has been tested in about 72 small clinical trials globally with positive results, so some doctors are prescribing it off-label to prevent COVID-19 or as an early treatment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that “ivermectin is not authorized or approved by FDA for prevention or treatment of COVID-19.”
Federal health authorities say that large randomized controlled trials (RCT) are needed to assess whether ivermectin is effective and safe in treating COVID-19. Two RCTs are currently being conducted to address this issue, with one in the United States and the other in the UK.
By Meiling Lee
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