Which term is the formal permission to release patient data for a specified purpose?

Which term is the formal permission to release patient data for a specified purpose?

• A. Authorization
• B. Consent
• C. Waiver
• D. Release

Answer: (A)

In medical privacy, the formal permission to release patient data for a defined purpose is authorization. This is a written, specific permission that names exactly what information will be disclosed, to whom, for what purpose, and for how long, with the patient’s signature and the option to revoke. Consent is a broader, often oral or implied permission to use PHI for routine treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, not a specific third‑party disclosure for a particular purpose. A waiver would mean relinquishing certain rights under special circumstances, not the standard mechanism for releasing information. Release is the general idea of disclosing information, but the legally precise term for a defined, external disclosure is authorization.

In medical privacy, the formal permission to release patient data for a defined purpose is authorization. This is a written, specific permission that names exactly what information will be disclosed, to whom, for what purpose, and for how long, with the patient’s signature and the option to revoke. Consent is a broader, often oral or implied permission to use PHI for routine treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, not a specific third‑party disclosure for a particular purpose. A waiver would mean relinquishing certain rights under special circumstances, not the standard mechanism for releasing information. Release is the general idea of disclosing information, but the legally precise term for a defined, external disclosure is authorization.