UnitedHealth Says They Will Use AI To Reduce Prior Authorizations

UnitedHealthcare will stop requiring signoffs for tests including echocardiograms, some chiropractic care and certain outpatient surgeries. Also on the list is some outpatient therapy.
By Susie Madrak — May 5, 2026

UnitedHealth Group plans to stop requiring doctors to get approvals for an array of procedures, tests and services, cutting back on a process detested by physicians and patients.

UnitedHealth, parent of the biggest U.S. health insurer, said the changes will slash the number of reviews by nearly a third starting later this year. Doctors have long complained about the paperwork they must complete to get insurers’ permission for care, which can lead to delays and denials.

UnitedHealthcare will stop requiring signoffs for tests including echocardiograms, some chiropractic care and certain outpatient surgeries. Also on the list is some outpatient therapy.

The insurer said it is using technology backed by artificial intelligence to help reduce the need for pre-authorization reviews. Or so they claim.

Pharmacy benefits managers? Now it's your turn.

So United Health Group's response to the deserved criticisms is to bring back the guy who CREATED the monster that it is. Culture shift he say, he made denial of claims and prior authorizations their business model. He'll fix that? Don't think so.
www.startribune.com/culture-shif...

— gene (@genej101.bsky.social) 2025-08-02T20:25:52.055Z

Thanks for this!
The Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) part is one of the scariest.
They "implement programs to encourage appropriate use of medications, such as prior authorizations and quantity limits."
So United Health Care can deny procedures, tests, visits, etc. while the PBM denies medication

— Jan Kirsch, M.D., M.P.H. (@drjanicekirsch.bsky.social) 2025-06-04T19:23:36.659Z

My forthcoming book, Coverage Denied: How Health Insurers Drive Inequality in the United States, got a shoutout in this NPR piece on prior authorizations for prescription drugs. www.npr.org/2026/02/26/n...

— Miranda Yaver (@mirandayaver.bsky.social) 2026-02-26T16:51:16.933Z

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