Health care; creating the Lori Brand Patient Bill of Rights Act of 2025; specifying certain patient rights and responsibilities. Effective date.
SB 761 creates the “Lori Brand Patient Bill of Rights Act of 2025” and codifies a detailed set of rights for patients receiving care in Oklahoma, along with corresponding responsibilities for patients, guardians, and parents of minor patients. The bill applies broadly to patients treated in the state and is especially focused on hospital care, informed consent, privacy, access to records, advance directives, grievance procedures, visitation, and protections against abuse, unnecessary restraints, and discriminatory restrictions. It also requires hospitals to provide certain disclosures, including information about physician- or corporate ownership on public websites and Medicare-related notices for older patients and beneficiaries.
The bill also establishes a separate set of rights tailored to minor patients, emphasizing age-appropriate treatment, least restrictive care, family communication, emotional support, participation in treatment decisions, and discharge planning. In addition, it outlines responsibilities for parents and guardians of minor patients, such as remaining involved in care decisions and helping staff locate other family members when needed. The act is scheduled to take effect November 1, 2025.
SB 761 would add new statutory provisions to Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes, creating enforceable patient-rights language and related duties for health care providers, hospitals, patients, and families. It would not appear to create a new licensing scheme, but it would require hospitals and providers to align policies, notices, record-access practices, visitation rules, grievance procedures, and patient communication practices with the bill’s requirements. The bill also specifically references federal accessibility requirements and Medicare notices, which could affect hospital compliance procedures for older adults and Medicare beneficiaries.
The available legislative history shows generally favorable sentiment toward the bill. It was reported out of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services with a do-pass recommendation and then passed the Senate 9-2, indicating broad support with some opposition. The bill’s framing as a patient-rights measure and its emphasis on dignity, transparency, and family involvement likely contributed to the positive reception.
The main areas of potential contention are the scope of the obligations imposed on hospitals and providers, especially around disclosure, record access, visitation, advance directives, and patient grievance handling. Provisions requiring public website disclosures about ownership, mandatory notice of patient rights, and detailed rights for minors may raise implementation or administrative concerns for health care facilities. The 9-2 vote suggests that while most senators supported the measure, a small group may have had reservations about regulatory burden, operational flexibility, or the extent of mandated patient protections.