Is Time Spent on Prior Authorizations Associated With Approval?

Advanced practice providers increasingly assume responsibility for prior authorizations (PAs). We hypothesized that the time burden of PAs will be correlated with increased approval. We collected several variables (ie, type, method, time spent, use of peer to peer, and outcome) for all PAs completed by a departmental nurse practitioner in 1 region. Chi-square tests and 2 sample t tests were used to assess significance. There was no significant association between the method of request, the number of attempts, and the time spent to approved PA. Further research is needed to determine ways to decrease the time and opportunity cost associated with PAs.