Who typically owns medical records in a healthcare setting?

In a healthcare setting, medical records are typically owned by healthcare organizations. This ownership is grounded in legal frameworks and regulations that govern the creation, storage, and management of patient health information. When a patient receives care, the healthcare organization creates and maintains the medical records to document the patient's medical history, treatments, and care provided. These records are essential for continuity of care, billing purposes, compliance with legal obligations, and quality assurance.

While patients have rights concerning their medical records, such as the right to access and request amendments, the actual ownership of the records resides with the organization that creates and maintains them. This legal ownership allows healthcare organizations to ensure that records are handled appropriately and that they comply with relevant regulations, including privacy laws like HIPAA in the United States.

Insurance companies and government entities may have claims to certain information within medical records, primarily for billing and regulatory purposes, but they do not own the medical records themselves. The patients retain rights over their personal health information within the framework established by the organizations that hold the records.