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Generally, an authorization provides the authority for a doctor's release of PHI for specified purposes, which are generally other than treatment, payment, or healthcare operations, or, to disclose protected health information to a third party specified by the individual.

PHI is health information in any form, including physical records, electronic records, or spoken information. Therefore, PHI includes health records, health histories, lab test results, and medical bills. Essentially, all health information is considered PHI when it includes individual identifiers.

Purpose: Consent covers treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, whereas authorization is required for other specific purposes. Mandatory vs. Voluntary: Consent is optional, and patients can choose to provide or withhold it. In contrast, authorization is mandatory for certain activities.

A Privacy Rule Authorization is an individual's signed permission to allow a covered entity to use or disclose the individual's protected health information (PHI) that is described in the Authorization for the purpose(s) and to the recipient(s) stated in the Authorization.

There are certain uses and disclosures of Protected Health Information that require your authorization. Among them are: most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes; uses and disclosures of protected health information for marketing purposes; and disclosure of protected health information that constitutes a sale.