Episodic authorizations use a high-profile event to consolidate authorizations for multiple related services to lighten the associated administrative burden and length of a care episode.

After a two-phase pilot of using episodic authorizations to improve care for patients receiving total knee arthroplasty (TKA), Cohere Health has seen:

• Reduced administrative burden: Providers were no longer required to submit a prior authorization request for physical therapy (PT), saving 13 mins per patient.
• Improved utilization: Average physical therapy utilization was reduced by six units per patient, likely due to quicker usage of post-op PT.
• Better patient outcomes: In addition to an encouraging reduction in complication rates, patients on average, received PT seven days sooner, an outcome linked directly to improved patient outcomes.