Astral Medical Services

Prior Authorization Services for Medical Practices

We handle submissions, follow-ups, and appeals so your staff can focus on patients instead of payer portals.

Outsource Your Auths
  • HIPAA-Compliant
  • U.S.-Based Experts
  • Free Practice Audit
Workflow Efficiency

Why Prior Authorization Management Is Draining Your Practice

Prior authorizations are one of the biggest time drains in a medical practice. Your staff spends hours navigating payer portals, waiting on hold, faxing clinical notes, and following up on pending requests, all before a single patient has been treated. And if an authorization is missed or delayed, the procedure gets postponed, the patient is frustrated, and the claim gets denied.

The problem gets worse as payer requirements change constantly. What was approved last month may require additional documentation this month. Keeping up with each payer's specific criteria for each procedure is a full-time job on its own.

Astral Medical Billing handles prior authorization services for medical practices across the USA. We submit requests, track approvals, manage peer-to-peer reviews, and appeal denials so your front desk can spend its time on patients instead of payer portals.

  • Same-day submission of requests
  • Proactive status tracking and follow up
  • Peer-to-peer review scheduling
  • Authorization appeals and expedited requests

Save 15+ Hrs

Per week for your front desk staff.

Reduce Denials

Auth-related denials drop to near zero.

Happy Patients

No more rescheduling due to "pending auth"

Specialty Scope

Radiology, Cardiology, Ortho & more.

What We Do

What Our Prior Authorization Services Include

Authorization Submission

We submit prior authorization requests to payers on the same day we receive the clinical information from your office. Every request is submitted with the correct supporting documentation the first time to minimize back-and-forth with payers.

Status Tracking and Follow Up

We track every open authorization request and follow up proactively with payers before deadlines. You always know the status of pending auths without having to chase anyone down.

Peer-to-Peer Review Scheduling

When a payer denies an authorization on medical necessity grounds and offers a peer-to-peer review, we coordinate the scheduling between your physician and the payer's medical reviewer. These calls are one of the most effective ways to overturn a denial.

Authorization Appeals

If an authorization is denied, we build the appeal with the clinical justification and supporting notes your physician has documented. We know what payers are looking for and how to present the case effectively.

Urgent and Expedited Requests

For time-sensitive situations, we flag and submit expedited authorization requests and follow up aggressively to get approvals as quickly as the payer allows.

Multi-Specialty Coverage

We handle prior authorization management across all major specialties including radiology, cardiology, orthopedics, physical therapy, mental health, oncology, and more.

The Payoff

How Outsourcing Prior Authorization Helps Your Practice

Most practices handle prior authorizations in-house because they assume it needs to be done by someone who knows the patients. In reality, the authorization process is almost entirely administrative. It requires knowing payer requirements, submitting the right documentation, and following up consistently, none of which requires clinical knowledge.

When you outsource prior authorization to us, your front desk gets hours back every week. Auth-related claim denials drop significantly because requests are submitted correctly and followed up on every time. And patients stop getting rescheduled because their authorization is still pending.

Support

Frequently Asked Questions About Prior Authorization Services

Prior authorization is a requirement from insurance payers that certain procedures, medications, or referrals be approved before they are performed. Without an approval in place, the payer can deny the claim entirely even if the service was medically necessary.

It varies by payer but commonly includes imaging studies like MRIs and CT scans, specialist referrals, surgical procedures, durable medical equipment, certain medications, and mental health or substance abuse treatment. We review your specific payer mix and specialty to identify which services need auths most often.

A denial is not always final. We appeal denials with clinical documentation and request peer-to-peer reviews where appropriate. Many denials are overturned on appeal when the right information is presented.

We submit same-day for requests received before our cutoff time. For urgent or expedited requests we prioritize immediately.

Yes. We work with Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid managed care, and all major commercial payers including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealth, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and others.

We work with your office to establish a simple workflow for sending us the relevant clinical notes, diagnosis codes, and procedure details. Most practices get this down to a quick process within the first week of working together.

Streamline Your Workflow

Let us handle the phone calls and paperwork. You handle the patients.