Try to imagine that you’re a doctor or a nurse trying to help the patients, but keep getting stuck on paperwork that takes hours. That is what prior authorizations are to healthcare workers. They’re a huge nuisance, taking as much time and money as can be spent on caring for people. This whitepaper points out why this process is so hard and provides ideas on how to make this process less painful.
Prior authorizations happen when physicians have to seek approval from insurance companies before offering some treatments and tests. It is a no-brainer, but it is a massive time suck. According to the white paper, doctors and their team spend almost 15 hours per week just to achieve 31 approvals for one doctor. It is like wasting two whole days on phone calls and forms instead of attending to patients. For each approval, if done manually, it costs about $11, and for one doctor, that translates into $85,000 a year. That’s a huge amount of money that could be spent on something of better value, like new medical equipment or another staff member.
The process is also very frustrating. At times, a nurse ends up waiting on hold for 45 minutes to learn that the approval wasn’t even needed. In addition, there are various rules for every insurance company, and those rules change constantly. A study in the whitepaper found that 23 insurance plans had 1,300 different approval requirements, and only eight were the same across all plans. Keeping track of all that is like trying to memorize a new playbook for every game. It’s no wonder mistakes happen.
How Prior Authorizations Hurt Patients and Practices
The whitepaper doesn’t just talk about time and money—it also shows how prior authorizations affect patients. A survey of 300 doctors found that 91% said the approval process delays care. That means patients have to wait longer for treatments or tests, which can be risky. Even worse, 75% of those doctors said some patients give up on treatment because the delays are too long. Imagine needing medicine but giving up because the paperwork takes forever—that’s what’s happening.
Mistakes in the process also cost practices money. If an approval is missed or done wrong, insurance might not pay for the treatment. The whitepaper says 14% of first-time payment denials and 19% of final write-offs happen because of authorization errors. That’s like losing money on a big chunk of your work just because of a mix-up.
The problem comes from how the process works. A doctor tells a nurse or assistant about a treatment, and that person has to figure out if it needs approval. Because no two insurance plans are alike, it is easy to make a mistake. It is like you are playing a game where the rules are hidden and you only find out that you have lost the game after you complete playing it.
Ways to Make It Better
The whitepaper looks at how some healthcare offices handle prior authorizations. Big specialties, like bone doctors, sometimes hire outside companies to get approvals for them. This helps because it frees up nurses and assistants to focus on patients. Smaller offices, though, usually have their regular staff do it, even though they’re already busy with other tasks. The whitepaper hints at cool tools and tricks to make the process smoother, but you’ll need to read the full version to get the juicy details.
Why You Should Read the Full Whitepaper
This summary is just a taste of what’s in the Effective Ways to Ease the Pain of Prior Authorizations whitepaper. The full document is packed with extra info, like real stories from offices that fixed their authorization problems, tips for saving money without hurting patient care, and ideas for using tech to cut down on paperwork. If you’re a doctor, a nurse, or someone who runs a healthcare office, this whitepaper is like a guidebook to make your job easier.
By reading the full whitepaper, you’ll learn:
Prior authorizations are a pain, but they don’t have to be. The whitepaper shows you how to take control and spend more time helping patients.
Get the Whitepaper Now
Want to make your healthcare office run smoother? Check out the full Effective Ways to Ease the Pain of Prior Authorizations whitepaper. Download it now. It’s a small step that could save you tons of time and money, and help your patients get the care they need faster.
