Who generally owns the medical records?

The correct choice is that the physician typically owns the medical records. The rationale behind this is that while patients have a right to access their own health information and receive copies of their medical records, the records themselves are considered the property of the physician or the healthcare provider system responsible for maintaining them.

This ownership reflects the responsibilities that healthcare providers have in documenting, managing, and safeguarding patient health information, as well as maintaining compliance with healthcare regulations. Physicians and hospitals are tasked with ensuring that medical records are accurate, complete, and confidential.

Patients have rights regarding their medical information, including the ability to consent to who can see their records and the right to access their records upon request. However, the physical records remain under the custodianship of the healthcare providers. Other entities mentioned, such as hospitals and insurance companies, have different roles within the healthcare system; while hospitals may maintain medical records on behalf of the physicians, they do not own the records outright. Insurance companies primarily handle claims and payment-related documentation rather than ownership of clinical records.