Health systems have to take responsibility for the broken prior authorization process and stop deferring action to payers, according to Jeff Balser, CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center .

“A lot of the work and time and delays with prior authorization are actually on our end,” Balser declared last week during a panel at Forbes ’ Healthcare Summit in New York City.

He noted that providers can begin the prior authorization process as soon as an appointment is scheduled. Many denials aren’t because the service is inappropriate, but because the provider failed to include the right information, he explained.

Balser stressed the need for health systems to support clinicians with better workflows, as well as centralized teams so that physicians aren’t doing this work alone.

He al

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