The pre-authorization program at Hollis Cobb started off with our staff assisting a client with a backlog of pre-auths, and has grown into a highly successful product in our current line of service offerings. Our pre-auth representatives work out of one of our call centers or onsite in our clients’ Patient Access Departments. This service allows our clients to focus on other core competencies and also helps decentralized offices to monitor and report productivity and accuracy. Our representatives have experience with a wide range of platforms that capture appointments and procedures scheduled across all specialties and insurance plans. Our team has experienced great success exceeding our clients’ daily targets of financially cleared accounts.
For some of our clients, our pre-auth work has been so successful that clients have re-allocated their pre-auth teams to other departments in which more staff was needed, while Hollis Cobb has continued to handle all pre-authorizations. Our pre-auth work has been exceptionally helpful to clients in the midst of system conversions as our team will continue to keep the pre-authorizations current while the client’s team goes through training on a new system. Typically, after the conversion is complete, and the client’s new system is up and running, the Hollis Cobb pre-auth team continues to assist the client with pre-authorizations in the new system as well.
The Hollis Cobb pre-authorization staff is not only proficient with a host of real-time eligibility tools, but also contacts patients directly to obtain updated insurance information when coverage is found to be inactive. Our staff also obtains primary care physician referrals when required. The team will update the client’s system with any current insurance information obtained and verified and continue to complete the pre-authorization.
Our well-honed pre-authorization product has been so successful in part due to the unique productivity and quality assurance process that we developed. Our Patient Access Managers have developed an internal scorecard to audit our representatives’ production and quality on a daily and hourly basis. Client audits have consistently shown lower error rates among our team which helps our clients reduce costly denials. Our Quality Assurance Department continues to look for ways to improve processes and increase production while decreasing errors. 
With the help from the Hollis Cobb pre-auth team, our clients have seen an overall increase in production which has substantially reduced their cost per account. In addition, consolidating decentralized pre-authorization teams into one Hollis Cobb team has resulted in closing holes in the process and streamlining the workflow. Our pre-auth program is flexible and our staff can adjust quickly to changes in volumes or other client needs. Every client and patient population is different. We understand that and are able to tailor our pre-auth programs based on individual client needs.
Accountability is key, and our team has proven their expertise through internal quality analysis and intense client audits. What started out as a favor to a long-time client has turned in to one of Hollis Cobb’s most successful and fastest growing service offerings. Our innovative management team is always looking for ways to bring more value to the services we provide to our clients and the patients they serve.
