The right of the patient to access the information in their medical record is established by statute in Oklahoma. The statute then goes on to provide that the right to access the information shall not apply to psychological or psychiatric records. It's recommended by legal authorities, however, that such records not be withheld from the patient unless the information in and of itself would be damaging to the patient. Refusing to allow a patient to see their record or to receive a copy of their record is a misdemeanor crime in Oklahoma punishable by fine, imprisonment in the county jail, or both. There is implied in the right of the patient to access the record that their request will be reasonable and that the response of the office or institution will also be reasonable.
Patients have a right to release medical information about themselves to anyone, if they so choose.
The right to access medical information is routinely given to insurance companies for the purposes of claim payment, to attorneys for the purposes of conducting lawsuits, and to employers in the case of Workers' Compensation claims. It is interesting to note that Oklahoma does not have a law requiring a physician to compile medical records pertaining to their office patients. However, there is an assumption in the law that such a record does exist. At the same time, there is no specific statute detailing how long a medical record should be preserved by the physician's office. It is recommended by the Oklahoma State Medical Association that all medical records should be retained as long as possible.