R1 acquires Humata Health, adding AI prior authorization to Phare OS platform

Revenue cycle management firm R1 RCM announced an agreement to acquire Humata Health, a startup specializing in AI-driven prior authorization. The acquisition aims to integrate Humata's automation, which reportedly achieves up to 96% first-pass approval rates, into R1's Phare OS platform. This move signals continued industry consolidation around AI tools designed to tackle the high-cost, high-volume prior authorization workflow. For independent practices, it represents a growing market of third-party automation vendors but does not change immediate payer policies or submission requirements.