A valid authorization must identify the information to be disclosed, the persons authorized to disclose and receive it, the purpose, an expiration date or event, and the individual's signature, along with required statements about revocation and redisclosure.
Defective authorizations are routinely rejected by provider record departments.
Alternative Names:
Medical Records Release, Records Authorization
Why it Matters?
Authorization defects are the leading cause of delay in records collection, and providers reject forms for missing expiration dates, overbroad descriptions, or omitted required statements. Scope is separately contested, since defendants seek broad authorizations covering prior treatment while plaintiffs limit them to the body parts at issue. That scope fight determines whether the prior treatment history that decides causation is ever obtained.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why are authorizations rejected by providers?
Can an authorization be limited in scope?
