The described capability is authorization —the process of determining what an authenticated user is allowed to access or do within the EHR based on their role, job function, and assigned permissions. Authorization is commonly implemented through role-based access control (RBAC) , where user types (e.g., physician, nurse, pharmacist, registrar, billing specialist) are mapped to permission sets that control specific functions such as ordering medications, signing notes, viewing sensitive charts, editing allergy lists, releasing results, or accessing administrative reports. This is exactly what “discern user types” and “ability to perform certain functions” refers to: differentiating users and enforcing permitted actions accordingly.

By contrast, authentication verifies the user’s identity (e.g., username/password, MFA, badge tap) but does not define what they can do after login. Identity proofing is the process of validating a person’s identity before issuing credentials (often during onboarding or account creation). Provisioning is the administrative workflow of creating accounts and assigning roles/permissions (often via IAM tools), which supports authorization but is not the access decision itself. In healthcare environments, strong authorization is essential for privacy, minimum-necessary access, workflow safety, and compliance, ensuring users can only perform tasks appropriate to their responsibilities.