- October 30, 2023
- Posted by: Thomas Anderson
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UnitedHealthcare (UHC), the largest commercial insurer in the country, has announced that it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for more than 60 radiology services starting next month. The move is part of UHC’s effort to simplify the healthcare experience for its members and network providers.
Prior authorization reduction details
- UHC said it will reduce prior authorization requirements for nearly 20% of its overall procedural volumes, across all specialties.
- The prior authorization reduction will affect UHC’s Medicare Advantage, commercial, Oxford and individual exchange plans, beginning on Sept. 1.
- The radiology services that will no longer require prior authorization include breast MRI with contrast, bone marrow imaging, gastroesophageal reflux studies, cardiac shunt detection, and myocardial perfusion SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), among others. A full list of the impacted services can be found on UHC’s website.
List of all 60 radiology services that won’t require Prior Authorization:
- Abdomen/pelvis CT
- Abdomen/pelvis MRI
- Ankle CT
- Ankle MRI
- Brain CT
- Brain MRI
- Breast CT
- Breast MRI
- Cardiac CT angiography
- Carotid CT angiography
- Cervical spine CT
- Cervical spine MRI
- Chest CT
- Chest MRI
- Colonoscopy
- CT angiography of the lower extremities
- CT angiography of the upper extremities
- CT myelogram
- Dual-energy CT (DECT)
- Echocardiogram
- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)
- Extremity CT
- Extremity MRI
- Fluoroscopy
- Head CT
- Head MRI
- Hip CT
- Hip MRI
- Knee CT
- Knee MRI
- Lumbar spine CT
- Lumbar spine MRI
- Mammography
- Neck CT
- Neck MRI
- Nuclear medicine studies
- Pelvic CT
- Pelvic MRI
- PET scan
- Shoulder CT
- Shoulder MRI
- Sinus CT
- Sinus MRI
- Small bowel enteroclysis (SBE)
- Thoracic spine CT
- Thoracic spine MRI
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
- Ultrasound (all types)
- Upper GI series
- Venography