The Dark Side of Prior Authorization (and How to Conquer It!)

The Dual Nature of Prior Authorization

In the healthcare sector, Prior Authorization offers a strange kind of duality. Opinions vary between the process being considered a boon for healthcare, helping to reduce cost and also ensure safe outcome for patients on one hand, and looking upon it as an essentially unnecessary intervention that only aids in delaying care. As the debate about the true worth of Prior Authorization continues to rage, one thing we are all certain of is that it’s going to stick around for quite some time.

The main grievance against Prior Authorization is the amount of time and effort it requires. This can be attributed to the fact that in spite of an increasing shift towards using a chiefly digital modus operandi, the process continues to be followed using traditional means involving downloading, attaching and faxing volumes of paperwork, filling up tedious forms, making lengthy phone calls and so on.

It’s no wonder that so many healthcare providers get mortified when faced with the task of getting a prescription prior authorized. Very often, the amount of time spent on the process and the number of personnel-hours utilized become unaffordable. It is too dear a price to pay for smaller practices which are always struggling with operational expenses and are not in a position to take in dedicated workers to work solely on Prior Authorization.

May the Force be with You!

The solution lies in outsourced specialized intervention. In other words, all one has to do is find a competent medical billing partner who is willing to provide valuable support to ease the Prior Authorization burden. The good news is, there are quite a few such medical billing companies (or Revenue Cycle Management partners, as they are sometimes called) to be found today. All you have to do is pick the one that best fits your bill.

Outsourcing business processes comes with a host of advantages. For one, it helps in bypassing the steep labor costs of the domestic market and save more with the remarkably lower rates at which such third-party services are usually available. What it all boils down to is a drastic reduction in operational expenses for most healthcare providers.

Another major advantage is getting an almost instantaneous access to a vast pool of dedicated back-office personnel without having to scour the employment market. It is a great way to free up your own in-house resources and leave them for more important matters, such as delivering actual patient care.