On January 3, 2003: What is the difference between consent and authorization under HIPAA?
(A) Under HIPAA, an authorization is when a patient/consumer/client grants permission for each type of non-routine use or disclosure of their health information. Consent is when patient/consumer/client allows the use of their health information for routine health care (treatment, payment and health care operations). Under HIPAA, a signed consent is optional and HIPAA leaves it up to the provider to develop a consent policy that works for them or to leave their current policy in place.
Related Questions
- As a health care provider, what do we do if a patient refuses to sign any HIPAA forms of consent or authorization? Can we still treat the patient and what are our boundaries?
- The sample consent form supplied by my clinical trial sponsor includes HIPAA language. Do I still need to use the HIPAA authorization form?
- Must the IRB approve the separate authorization form or is the new HIPAA language included in the new consent form template?
