Decision right
A decision right states which role has authority to make a defined operational, coding, compliance, financial, technical, or policy decision.
Updated
A decision right is the documented authority assigned to a role for a specific class of decision. It states what the role may approve or change, the evidence it must consider, and the threshold at which the decision must move to another qualified or accountable role.
In revenue-cycle work, decision rights prevent routine queue ownership from being mistaken for authority to change coding, interpret policy, approve a write-off, disclose information, or accept a compliance risk.
In practice
A useful decision-right record names the decision, authorized role, scope, limits, required consultation, evidence, and escalation path. It should follow the role rather than depend on one employee’s informal knowledge.
Commonly confused with
- Responsibility: Responsibility assigns work. A decision right assigns authority; a person may perform a task without being authorized to approve every exception.
- Approval: Approval is one exercise of authority. The decision right defines who may give it and under what conditions.