← Oklahoma medical records custodian and retention laws

Oklahoma — Medical Records Checklist

For a practice that is closing, being sold, relocating or whose physician is retiring. Prepared 21 September 2026.

How long records must be kept

Adult patients: A minimum of 5 years.
Patients who were minors: Records of newborns or minors: 3 years past the age of majority.
Clock starts: The date the patient was last seen.
Also: Or a minimum of 3 years beyond the date of the patient's death.
Also: The Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision states that its OWN laws and regulations impose no retention duty - this rule is the State Department of Health's, and the Board directs physicians to it.
Also: Medicaid providers should also check OAC 317:30-3-15.

Before you close — what this state requires

The Board's own closure memo exists and is current (19 February 2026) - its subject line is literally record retention in closing your medical practice. Citing it tells an Oklahoma physician the Board has addressed their exact situation.
The Board states plainly that ITS OWN laws and regulations impose no retention duty - so in Oklahoma the retention obligation comes from the Department of Health rule and from Medicaid, not from the licensing board.

Where this comes from

OAC 310:667-19-14, as quoted by the Oklahoma Medical Board in its memo 'Record retention in closing your medical practice', 19 February 2026
https://www.okmedicalboard.org/download/2474/MD_Office_Closure_Memo_Final_Feb_2026-Guideline_Record+Retention.pdf

Read this before you act on it. Every statement above was taken from the state's own published rule or statute and is quoted or closely paraphrased from it. It is a working checklist, not legal advice, and it is a snapshot: retention periods change, and several states adjust their copying fees every year. Confirm the current text with the source listed above, or with your attorney, before you rely on a date or a dollar figure.

Figures stated as of: Verified September 2026

Prepared by Morgan Records Management for Oklahoma. Checklist built 21 September 2026.