From the Lab · Game
The prior auth maze.
Prior authorization means asking the insurance plan for permission before a test or treatment is covered. It sounds like one step. It rarely is.
Here is one MRI. Pick a path. The receipt keeps count.
Invented patient
Mr. Brooks is 61 and a carpenter. For two months his right knee has locked on ladders. He finished six weeks of physical therapy. It still locks.
Day 0
he has waited
0 min
staff time
0 min
your time
Day 0
You think it is a torn meniscus. You order an MRI. An hour later the imaging center calls: his plan needs prior authorization first.
Receipt
One knee MRI
Nothing yet. Make a choice.
Staff0 min
You0 min
Mr. Brooks, his plan, and every minute and day in the story are invented. The steps are the ones offices describe every week. More in The prior-auth clock, 2026 edition and Red tape, itemized.