7 Benefits of Partnering with a Prior Authorization Company to Manage Workflows
Manual prior authorizations continue to plague healthcare providers, leading to staff burnout, delayed patient care, and higher costs across care settings. In a process historically reliant on tedious data entry, physicians and administrative staff are forced to dedicate valuable resources to an inefficient process – directly impacting patient care and outcomes.
So, what’s the solution here?
By finding the right prior authorization solution to automate your existing workflows, you can take back the time in your day spent on manual prior auths and put that time toward more productive and impactful work serving patients. You can significantly streamline your workflows, improving efficiency, accuracy, and overall productivity.
If you’re still on the fence about investing in a prior authorization automation solution for your organization keep reading. We’ll explore seven key benefits of partnering with a prior authorization company for your practice’s workflow management.
1. Automatic Prior Authorization Submissions
One of the most significant advantages of working with a prior authorization company is the automation of submissions. Instead of manually entering data and submitting requests, automation tools handle the process, ensuring that submissions are timely and accurate.
For Valer clients, this automation has led to a 45% reduction in total staff time required for submissions, allowing healthcare teams to focus on more critical tasks like patient care.
2. Fewer Denials Due to Human Error or Incomplete Information
Manual processes are susceptible to errors, whether a missed field or incorrect information. These mistakes can lead to costly denials and delays in patient care. By partnering with a prior authorization company, you can minimize these errors. Automated systems are designed to catch incomplete or incorrect data before submission, drastically reducing the chances of denials.
For Valer clients, fewer denials and delays are contributing to improvements in the average authorized days out. One client specifically saw that timeframe extended from 5 to 13 days, providing more flexibility in patient scheduling and care delivery.
3. Automatic Status Checking: Freeing Up Staff Time
Waiting on the status of an authorization can be a game of patience. Traditional methods require staff to repeatedly check for updates (either by phone or manually checking unique portals), taking up valuable time that could be spent elsewhere.
An automation solution from a leading prior authorization company can provide automatic status checking, eliminating the need for manual follow-ups. This feature not only keeps the process moving efficiently but also frees up staff time for other important tasks, such as patient engagement or administrative duties.
4. Payer Decision Verification That Integrates Back into the EHR
Once a payer makes a decision, the next step is integrating that decision back into the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Manually entering this data is time-consuming and prone to errors. The right prior authorization company can help to automate this process, ensuring that payer decisions are accurately and swiftly updated in the EHR system.
This integration ensures that all patient records are up-to-date, reducing the risk of errors in treatment plans and helping to maintain a seamless workflow. Valer offers bi-directional synchronization with your EHR which provides real-time reporting.
5. Increase in Productivity
Ultimately, automation and streamlined processes will lead to a noticeable increase in productivity. By partnering with a prior authorization company to streamline workflows, healthcare providers can see an 11% boost in staff productivity.
Additionally, some Valer clients have seen an 80% reduction in manual authorization processing time, which significantly reduces the workload on your team. This increase in productivity translates into better patient care, as your staff can devote more attention to clinical responsibilities. In some cases, this amount of time savings could even warrant a reallocation of internal resources, assigning staff to other departments that need more support rather than making a new hire.
6. Greater Visibility with Real-Time Reporting
Understanding how your practice is performing against key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential for continuous improvement. Prior authorization companies like Valer offer real-time reporting tools that provide insights into your workflow efficiency, authorization success rates, and more.
These reports allow you to measure ongoing performance, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions that enhance your practice’s operations.
7. Ongoing Support & Troubleshooting
Lastly, partnering with a top prior authorization company provides you with ongoing support. Whether it’s adjusting to new payer requirements or optimizing your workflow further, you have access to a team of experts ready to assist. This ongoing support ensures that your practice is always operating at peak efficiency, with the tools and guidance needed to navigate any challenges that arise.
Putting Benefits into Practice
Managing prior authorizations doesn’t have to be a burden on your practice. By partnering with a specialized prior authorization company like Valer, you gain access to tools and expertise that automate, streamline, and enhance your workflows. From reducing manual work to increasing productivity and providing ongoing support, these benefits make a compelling case for adopting a new tech solution.
If you’re looking to elevate your practice’s efficiency and patient care, Valer is ready to help you simplify and streamline your prior authorization workflow. Contact us today.