Prior Authorization Examined from the Health Reporter’s Perspective

January 10, 2022

Prior authorization is a point of conflict between doctors and insurers in the United States, often dragging patients along in the process. In an article in The Journalist’s Resource by Kerry Dooley Young, the current role of prior authorization in healthcare is discussed, emphasizing recent efforts to streamline the process to reduce the burden on providers.

According to Young, “In a 2020 survey of 1,000 doctors by the American Medical Association, 58% said phone calls with insurance companies were often or always required to complete a prior authorization request for prescriptions, with 59% saying this was true for prior authorization requests for medical services. Regarding faxes, 48% of respondents said these were always or often necessary, while 46% said this was the case for requests for medical services.”