Which situation does NOT require patient authorization?

The situation that does not require patient authorization involves incidental use or disclosure of patient information. Incidental disclosures are those that occur as a byproduct of a permitted use or disclosure of protected health information. For instance, when healthcare providers discuss patient cases in a way that does not specifically disclose identifiable patient information, or when patient information is overheard in a waiting room, these instances are considered incidental.

In many circumstances, healthcare regulations, such as those outlined in HIPAA, recognize these incidental sales as permissible because they are generally unintentional and don't involve a systematic effort to disclose patient information. Consequently, this type of disclosure typically does not violate privacy regulations, hence no patient authorization is needed.

In contrast, other options involve situations where patient data is shared or discussed more intentionally or specifically, which typically requires consent or authorization to ensure patient privacy is upheld.