Medical Records Ownership: Understanding Your Rights Under HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) defines who owns medical records. Under HIPAA, the patient owns their medical records and has the right to access and control their use. This includes the right to:

Inspect and obtain a copy of their medical records

Receive an accounting of who has accessed their medical records

Request that their medical records be corrected

Restrict who can access their medical records

Revoke their authorization for the release of their medical records

Healthcare providers are required to comply with HIPAA and must protect the privacy of patient medical records. They must take steps to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to medical records and that medical records are used only for the purposes for which they were intended.