Recording a medical appointment in Oregon

The short answer

In Oregon you have to tell everyone you are recording before you start. You do not need them to agree. Saying it out loud, so the room hears it, is what the law asks for.

What the law says

The governing statute is Or. Rev. Stat. § 165.540(1)(c).

Oregon is the one state where the usual two categories don't fit. For an in-person conversation, everyone has to be specifically informed that recording is happening. But the statute says informed, not consenting.

That's a real difference. You have to tell the room. Nobody has to agree. If your provider keeps talking after you've said you're recording, the recording is lawful.

The Ninth Circuit upheld the in-person notice requirement in January 2025.

What to say

You are telling people, not asking them. Say it clearly enough that everyone present hears it, before you start recording.

If somebody objects, you are still better off stopping. The law is satisfied by telling them, but an appointment where your provider is uncomfortable is not a good appointment.

Phone calls follow a different rule

Phone calls are treated differently. Under Or. Rev. Stat. § 165.540(1)(a), a participant may record a telephone conversation without telling anyone.

An in-person appointment is covered by the rule at the top of this page. A phone or video visit may not be, so if you are recording a call, use the stricter standard.

If your provider says no

Take the no. Providers are allowed to decline, some health systems have a blanket policy, and recording over an objection turns a simple request into a problem.

• Ask them to write the instructions down, or to print an after-visit summary before you leave.
• Take notes on the instructions only. You don't need the whole conversation.
• Write it up right after, in the parking lot rather than that evening. Memory fades fastest in the first hour.
• Bring someone whose job for that visit is listening for the practical details.

The Rootwise App works either way. Record it or type up what happened, and you get the same plain-language summary and task list.