‘Gold Card’ Approach to Prior Authorization No Hurdle for HealthEdge

States have been passing legislation in recent years to address the complaints of providers that they are subject to too many prior authorization requirements in advance of patient treatment. This provider abrasion is something health plans are seeking to reduce independent of any legislative initiatives because it can be a labor-intensive process to assure medical necessity. Most requests are eventually approved.

While some states have mandated that payers provide electronic submission options with established turnaround times, Texas and West Virginia are two that have passed “Gold Card” laws using a different approach. At least seven other states are discussing similar legislation.

The gold card method in Texas mandates that over a specified period of time, providers achieving a 90 percent approval rate for prior authorizations achieve special status that waives the need for further approvals on those services for the next year.

HealthEdge has tools in place to meet the challenges of this and other new state laws. For one thing, GuidingCare rolled out an electronic Prior Authorization Portal that was developed in conjunction with both a customer payer and its system providers in 2021. Through this portal providers receive authorizations in a matter of moments, allowing more complex requests to be quickly routed for review of medical necessity. The portal features one-click messaging and eliminates the need for concurrent reviews during inpatient stays. GuidingCare also supports the rules that determine when a provider has reached the threshold for a gold-card status.

HealthRules Payor can easily be configured to waive prior authorization requirements when processing claims for providers who have reached a threshold. This interoperability between HealthRules Payor and GuidingCare is just a preview of what platform integration promises with new companies brought under the HealthEdge banner in the last two years.

Payers disagree even among themselves as to whether gold-card practices are effective, and provider organizations also disagree among themselves. Either way, HealthEdge is ready to support customers in meeting the requirements known to date.

Learn more about Reducing Incorrect Payments Between Payers & Providers in a Claims Wasteland here.