Aetna, a healthcare subsidiary of CVS Health Inc. (NYSE:CVS), expanded its prior authorization bundles across all cancer types for members in eligible Medicaid states starting Sept. 1.
The health plan operator plans to eventually extend these bundled approvals across all lines of business by 2027. The initiative builds on the initial rollout’s success, in which nearly 25% of eligible members received a bundled prior authorization.
The pre-approval accelerates patient access to critical treatment while eliminating repetitive paperwork.
Previously, Aetna observed that medical providers submitted an average of four separate prior authorization requests for every member needing oncology services.
Consolidating Oncology Services Into Single Requests
The prior authorization bundles combine medical oncology, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy where appropriate, along with radiation oncology services and high-tech imaging needs like MRI or CT scans.
Clinicians can now submit all of these necessary approvals simultaneously in one request through a single portal.
Excessive Admin Workload Remains a Challenge
In the latest Aetna Provider Survey, 74% of providers named administrative burden as the top issue facing clinical staff today, with nearly one-third (31%) identifying prior authorization management as the single largest contributor to this burden.
By reducing operational friction, Aetna aims to help providers free up more time for direct patient care.
Survey findings show that 80% of respondents expect to save more than 30 minutes daily through administrative technology solutions like bundles, and 30% believe they could save over an hour each day.
Following the Medicaid launch, Aetna expects to extend bundle eligibility to Medicare and Commercial plan members during the first half of 2027.
CVS Price Action: CVS Health shares were down 0.15% to $91.58 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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