Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 5
UnitedHealthcare drops prior approval for 30% of healthcare services
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 5

UnitedHealthcare drops prior approval for 30% of healthcare services

13 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 5
  • By year-end, the cuts will cover select outpatient surgeries, echocardiograms, certain outpatient therapies and chiropractic care, CEO Tim Noel said on Tuesday.
  • The insurer said prior authorizations now apply to only 2% of its medical services, and about 92% of submitted requests are approved in less than 24 hours on average.
  • The move follows complaints from patients and doctors about paperwork delaying care, and comes after US health insurers last month pushed to standardize prior authorization processes.
If most appealed denials are overturned, what stops insurers from rejecting care in the first place?
As insurers cut paperwork, will AI-driven denials become the new barrier to patient care?