Who is considered custodian of medical records and therefore determines when information from the records should be disclosed?

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The key idea is who is responsible for controlling access to patient information and deciding when it can be released. The Medical Records Director (often called the Health Information Management director) is the custodian of medical records. This role safeguards the records, manages access, and determines if a disclosure is allowed based on authorized requests, patient rights, and applicable laws and policies. The Privacy Officer handles the privacy program, compliance, and policy interpretation, but does not typically control the day-to-day custody or release decisions. Hospital Administrators and Chief Medical Officers lead operations and clinical care, not record custody. So the person who determines when information from the records should be disclosed is the Medical Records Director.