In a stunning show of unity, some of the largest U.S. health insurers—including CVS Health, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Humana, Elevance Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield—have come together to dramatically change the way healthcare gets delivered. They’ve recently announced efforts to improve how patients find their way to care and reduce the administrative burden on healthcare providers. These moves are intended to improve the lives of 257 million of the American people who depend on these health insurers for their non-deferrable healthcare needs.
The pledge follows a sustained and unprecedented wave of public pressure and backlash against the U.S. health insurance industry. This response came in the wake of the tragic murder of UnitedHealthcare’s top executive, Brian Thompson. This event has motivated insurers to take a step back and reconsider their practices and make it easier for patients to access care.
The insurers intend to adopt a uniform standard for the submission of electronic prior authorization requests no later than January 1, 2027. This standardization is meant to ease some of the burdensome prior authorization process delights. Right now, most physicians and hospitals fax or mail their claims, often on paper. The big guys—the major insurers—have made a pretty audacious pledge. They will cut the number of claims as a result of prior authorization requests by 2026.
By 2027, at least 80% of electronic prior authorization approvals, provided all necessary clinical documents are submitted, will receive real-time responses. This long-awaited improvement will ease the administrative burden on health care professionals. As a result, they’re able to spend more time focusing on producing the best possible patient outcomes.
Shawn Martin, CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians, p eared out new stunts during these secrets .
“We look forward to collaborating with payers to ensure these efforts lead to meaningful and lasting improvements in patient care.” – Shawn Martin, CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
It’s notable that these large insurers are getting together. They understand that the healthcare system is broken and needs to be fixed. We believe these changes will make for a better patient experience. They will improve healthcare workforce productivity by reducing annoying and unnecessary burdens on providers, most of whom are drowning in administrative red tape.