We’re less than a week away from July 1. That’s the date when the West Virginia law (Senate Bill 267 signed into law during the 2023 Regular Session of the WV Legislature) mandating the electronic submission of prior authorization requests via the insurers’ electronic portal goes into effect.
Is your organization ready for this change? Have you already started using Availity®, Highmark’s provider portal, to submit prior authorization requests electronically? If so, great!
Many of your West Virginia colleagues, who formerly faxed or phoned in prior authorization requests, are now submitting prior authorizations electronically. These providers are discovering the benefits of electronic transactions via Availity, which include increased administrative efficiency, reduced costs, and faster turnaround times.
Based on Highmark Utilization Management data, using Availity increases authorization turnaround time by 75% compared to alternative submission channels; some approvals are available immediately.
Not signed up for Availity? Visit www.availity.com and click the Get Started link.
Both Highmark and Availity have plenty of resources, including guides and videos, to assist you through the electronic authorization process.