ZeOmega Unveils Novel Electronic Prior Authorization Solution

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May 18, 2022, 09:03 ET

Through Partnerships with Change Healthcare and MCG, ZeOmega's HealthUnity™

Smart Authorization Gateway Saves Time, Lowers Costs and Reduces Delays in Patient Care

PLANO, Texas, May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZeOmega^®, the industry's leading population health management organization, today announced the launch of its HealthUnity Smart Authorization Gateway (Smart Auth). It is the market's first and only electronic prior authorization (ePA) solution that comprehensively includes EMR integration capabilities, payer/provider workflows, medical policies integration and adjudication, administrative rules and auto approval rules. Smart Auth is an end-to-end FHIR-enabled workflow for submitting ePA requests directly from providers' EMRs to payers. It receives decisions back immediately, saving time and costs and optimizing the member/patient experience.

The prior authorization process is a well-known struggle for payers, providers, and patients – while necessary, it is tedious, time consuming and costly, and reports attribute it to 93% of delays in care. ZeOmega recognized the need to automate the prior authorization process to alleviate administrative burdens and thus created the Smart Auth Gateway. This solution takes a pragmatic approach to optimization by merging existing platforms and processes with the next-generation interoperable burden reduction framework developed under the HL7 DaVinci Project industry collaborative. Smart Auth is designed to help payers and providers roll out automation in phases while ensuring that today's investments are aligned with the future convergence of automated ePA workflows and regulatory compliance requirements.

"Smart Auth combines ZeOmega's extensive utilization management workflow expertise with the interoperable FHIR-based technology framework developed through our participation as a founding member of the HL7 DaVinci Project. This solution provides tools for payers and providers together in one place with scalable interoperability that achieves faster authorizations, optimizing care," said ZeOmega's Vice President of Interoperability Solutions, Tony Sheng. "Smart Auth integrates with payers' existing utilization management systems, including our Jiva platform."

ZeOmega has collaborated with Change Healthcare and MCG to integrate the organizations' clinical guidelines – already employed by most providers and payers – into the Smart Auth Gateway. ZeOmega is also actively working with AI-based decision support partners to automate accurate prior authorization requests and adjudication for specialty care to fast track complex service requests. The solution automates processes for various specialty review categories such as imaging, oncology and musculoskeletal, and its modular approach allows users to customize features based on their needs.

"MCG is pleased to be working with an innovative partner like ZeOmega on a comprehensive solution that allows payers and providers to communicate with one another to expedite the authorization process to reduce the burden and improve patient outcomes," said Rajesh Godavarthi, MCG Associate Vice President of Technology and Interoperability. "MCG and ZeOmega leverage HL7^® Da Vinci Project FHIR^® standards in our integrated solution to provide real-time, interactive communication and automation between providers and payers. Ultimately, this enables all parties to be ahead of the curve for meeting any current and future interoperability mandates as well as provide timelier treatment to members."

"Prior authorizations are a vital part of healthcare, but the industry needs to become more efficient," said Andrew Johnson, vice president of Prior Authorization at Change Healthcare. "By combining our expertise in delivering and automating clinical criteria at the provider point of care with Smart Auth we will be able to bring improved efficiency and cost savings to our clients through end-to-end prior authorization automation."

ZeOmega will introduce Smart Auth and take a deep dive into the future of ePAs during the Connections22 client customer conference taking place May 23-26 in Frisco, TX. The company's leaders and other industry experts will meet to discuss the trends, technologies, and best practices driving intelligent change in healthcare. At the conference, Allen Saunders, manager of product management at Change Healthcare, will present on how payers and providers can connect for ePA using the two companies' solutions. Additionally, Tony Sheng and ZeOmega's Chief Medical Officer David J. Sand, MD, MBA, will present on ePAs' value in care management during a webinar hosted by MCG. The session will be held on June 2 and anyone interested can learn more or register here.

About ZeOmega
ZeOmega empowers health plans and other risk-bearing organizations with the industry's leading technology for simplifying population health management. Clients using the ZeOmega Health Cloud experience superior workflow and proven results due to exceptional integration capabilities, unmatched clinical content and a powerful rules engine. With deep domain expertise and a comprehensive understanding of population health challenges, ZeOmega serves as a true partner for clients with personalized deployment and delivery models. By consistently exceeding customer expectations and project benchmarks, ZeOmega has earned a reputation for being proactive, reliable, and dedicated to improving the health of the 38 million lives covered by its clients. Founded in 2001, ZeOmega is privately held and headquartered in Plano, Texas. Visit the ZeOmega website at www.zeomega.com.

ZeOmega, HealthUnity, and Jiva are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeOmega, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other marks or brands may be claimed as the property of others.

SOURCE ZeOmega