**Description:**A mandate, regulation, obligation, requirement, rule, or expectation unilaterally imposed by one party on:

• The activity of another party
• The behavior of another party
• The manner in which an act is executed

**Description:**A mandate, regulation, obligation, requirement, rule, or expectation unilaterally imposed by a jurisdiction on:

• The activity of another party
• The behavior of another party
• The manner in which an act is executed

**Examples:**A jurisdictional mandate regarding the prescribing and dispensing of a particular medication. A jurisdictional privacy or security regulation dictating the manner in which personal health information is disclosed. A jurisdictional requirement that certain services or health conditions are reported to a monitoring program, e.g., immunizations, methadone treatment, or cancer registries.

**Description:**A mandate, obligation, requirement, rule, or expectation unilaterally imposed by an organization on:

• The activity of another party
• The behavior of another party
• The manner in which an act is executed

**Examples:**A clinical or research protocols imposed by a payer, a malpractice insurer, or an institution to which a provider must adhere. A mandate imposed by a denominational institution for a provider to provide or withhold certain information from the patient about treatment options.

**Description:**An ethical or clinical obligation, requirement, rule, or expectation imposed or strongly encouraged by organizations that oversee particular clinical domains or provider certification which define the boundaries within which a provider may practice and which may have legal basis or ramifications on:

• The activity of another party
• The behavior of another party
• The manner in which an act is executed

**Examples:**An ethical obligation for a provider to fully inform a patient about all treatment options. An ethical obligation for a provider not to disclose personal health information that meets certain criteria, e.g., where disclosure might result in harm to the patient or another person. The set of health care services which a provider is credentialed or privileged to provide.

**Description:**A requirement, rule, or expectation typically documented as guidelines, protocols, or formularies imposed or strongly encouraged by an organization that oversees or has authority over the practices within a domain, and which may have legal basis or ramifications on:

• The activity of another party
• The behavior of another party
• The manner in which an act is executed

**Examples:**A payer may require a prescribing provider to adhere to formulary guidelines. An institution may adopt clinical guidelines and protocols and implement these within its electronic health record and decision support systems.