Source Authority
What does source authority mean in senior living operations?
Last reviewed
Direct answer
Source authority is the operator’s rule for which system’s value governs a specific field or decision. For example, the EHR may be authoritative for level of care, the billing system for the rate billed, and payroll for hours paid. Source authority is assigned, not assumed, and it can differ by decision. It tells everyone which value wins when systems disagree, and why.
Why this happens
Without explicit authority, the integration’s overwrite rules or the report builder’s choices quietly act as the authority.
Clear authority shortens arguments. When a disagreement appears, the question becomes "is the authoritative source wrong?" rather than "which system do we believe today?"
Example: authority depends on the decision
Clinical system
Authoritative for level of care
Assessments are recorded and signed there.
Billing system
Authoritative for the rate billed
The contract and payer terms are applied there.
Payroll
Authoritative for hours paid
It is the system of record for compensation.
- Which number governs?
- Operator Authority
- Governing Record
- SeniorCRE Intelligence
- Execution
Illustrative figures. Governance first. Intelligence second. Execution last.
No single system is authoritative for everything. Authority is assigned per field and per decision.
The governance question
Authority is an organizational decision that software should record, not invent. When the authoritative source is wrong, the right response is a documented override with the original value preserved, not a silent edit.
Evidence → Disagreement → Authority → Governing Record
What good operating infrastructure should do
- Per-field, per-decision authority rules approved by named owners.
- Visible authority: users can see which source governs a number.
- Override workflows that capture reason, approver and time.
- Original values preserved after every override.
- Periodic review of authority rules as systems change.
SeniorCRE perspective
SeniorCRE’s architecture records authority as a rule the operator approves, applies it when sources disagree, and keeps the overridden value with its reason and approver. Software can recommend; only the operator’s authority decides what governs. Status: the Governed Operating Record is designed and not yet implemented in any community. What has been built, validated and deployed is published on the evidence page, and nothing here should be read as a production result.