Final answer:
The patient's medical record officially belongs to the physician or the medical facility that compiled it, although the patient has rights to access it. Despite this, exceptions to access exist for privacy reasons, such as under the Freedom of Information Act for government employees' medical records.
Step-by-step explanation:
The medical record of a patient is a document that contains the personal health history, medical charts, reports, and the medical care they have received. In most jurisdictions, the medical record officially belongs to the physician or the medical facility that maintains the record, not the patient, their spouse, attorney, or the state medical board. This is because the medical provider is responsible for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of the records. However, patients do have legal rights to access their medical records under laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States.
Exceptions to this access can be found under laws like the Freedom of Information Act, which excludes sensitive information such as medical records for government employees to protect their privacy. Additionally, public health offices, such as epidemiologists, may review medical records for public health research and crisis management, but this does not change the ownership of the records.