UnitedHealthcare eliminates most prior authorizations for rural providers

UnitedHealthcare announced it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for most services provided by rural and critical access hospitals and their affiliated professionals. This policy change is immediate for participating providers in designated rural areas. The waiver covers most non-elective inpatient and outpatient services, but excludes cosmetic procedures, some advanced imaging, and certain durable medical equipment. Rural practices with UHC contracts should confirm their eligibility on the UHC provider portal and adjust their internal authorization workflows this week. This move aims to ease administrative burden and could significantly reduce front-office work for affected clinics.