Can AI Streamline Prior Authorization or Increase Denials?

Prior authorization, designed to curb unnecessary medical spending, frequently causes dangerous delays in care as patients wait for insurance approval. Artificial intelligence could theoretically accelerate the process by handling clear-cut claims, but it also risks raising the rate of wrongful denials. A 2025 American Medical Association survey found that 61% of physicians worry AI will make it harder to get approval for treatments they consider necessary.