Claremore Indian Hospital Patients Face Deadline to Secure Medical Records Before Transition

Claremore Indian Hospital Patients Face Deadline to Secure Medical Records Before Transition

By Cara Cowan Watts, Cherokee 411

CLAREMORE, Okla. — Current and former patients of Claremore Indian Hospital have until 4:30 p.m. today to request copies of their health records before the facility officially transitions from Indian Health Service (IHS) management to Cherokee Nation control on Oct. 1.

How to Request Records

According to IHS staff, patients must complete Form IHS-810 and submit it to the hospital’s records department by the deadline.

• In person: Deliver completed Form IHS-810 to the Claremore Indian Hospital records department.

• By mail: Send toATTN: Liz ValliereIHS Records Department701 Market DriveOklahoma City, OK 73131

The form is available online:

• Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information (IHS-810) – IHS.gov

• Direct PDF Link

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What Happens if No Request Is Made

If no request is submitted, patient files will be archived with IHS headquarters in Oklahoma City for 75 years.

It remains unclear how, or if, those archived records will be transferred into the new Cherokee Nation electronic health record (EHR) system. Patients may be required to submit additional release forms for their information to appear in the Cherokee Nation Health Services EHR system.

Lack of Patient Notification

Patients have not been directly notified of either the management transition to Cherokee Nation or the potential issue of their records not being automatically transferred.

Officials have not yet provided details on how the record release process will work under Cherokee Nation Health Services.

Next Steps

Cherokee 411 will update this story or publish a follow-up article as more information becomes available.