EVIDENCE - ADMISSIBILITY OF HOSPITAL RECORDS AS BUSINESS ENTRIES

Following the report of the Commonwealth Fund Committee, in which they advocated the adoption of a model act to govern the admission of business entries as evidence, a comparatively small number of states have enacted legislation of this kind, either the model act or an act of similar nature. The extent of this comment is to show: (1) in what states hospital records have been held not to be admissible as business entries, the states where there has been no decision on the subject, and the states where the status of the rule is in doubt; (2) the states where hospital records have been held to be admissible, and whether they are so by virtue of the common law, or only because of statute; (3) the authentication which is necessary; and (4) the purposes for which the record may be used.