Navigate Availity Essentials for authorization case status and authorization decision letters as well as Preference Center for method of communication on authorization cases

As you take advantage of many digital capabilities on Availity Essentials, we’ve provided information below to help you easily navigate the Authorizations and Referrals application and set your preferences on receiving communications on your authorization cases within Preference Center through your organizations’ Availity admins. By using these capabilities, you can quickly track your authorization cases and get related decision letters digitally, without manually handling paper letters.

Navigate the Authorizations and Referrals application

Log into Availity Essentials to access the Authorizations and Referrals application. From the Patient Registration menu at the top of the screen, select Authorizations & Referrals. You will see Auth/Referral Inquiry and Auth/Referral Dashboard on the screen, along with other choices.

Auth/Referral Inquiry

This function assists you in retrieving your submitted cases through both digital and non-digital methods. You can search by specifying your organization, the payer, request type, and provider information. Once you locate your cases, you can use the Pin to Dashboard feature to keep these cases on the Auth/Referral Dashboard, saving you from repeating the search in the future.

Auth/Referral Dashboard

The Auth/Referral Dashboard displays the most recent status of the cases submitted by your organization through Availity Essentials. It offers a consolidated view of all your authorization requests, making it simple to track. For pinned cases, select the case card to get the latest status and case details. To access complete details about a case, including the digital letters about the case, select View Details in the Actions menu.

Access the Preference Center to set preference on receiving authorization case status and related decision letters

The Preference Center is located within Payer Spaces on Availity Essentials. After logging into Availity Essentials, select Payer Spaces from the top menu bar, then select the payer tile that corresponds to your market. Once in Payer Spaces, select the Preference Center application tile. The Preference Center will prompt you to select your organization.

Set your preferred communication mode for authorization cases

After selecting your organization, select the preference option for Authorization and Referrals to see the preferred communication mode for authorization cases and adjust the preference (Digital Access (Default) or Digital + Mail) based on your business needs.

Once in the preference setting for Authorizations and Referrals, all tax IDs and NPIs for your organization that are registered with Availity Essentials will be displayed on the screen. The default communication mode for authorization cases will be set to Digital Access for all organizations, including all combinations of tax IDs and NPIs.

You can change the mode of communication to Digital + Mail for any combination of tax ID and NPI. There is no need to manually enter the tax IDs and/or NPIs to set this preference. Instead, use the search bar to focus on the tax IDs and NPIs you want to make changes to. Additionally, you can add more NPIs to your current registration and set the preferred communication mode for the new NPIs under the selected tax IDs.

Manage preferences (Availity Administrators)

Availity Administrators can learn more about managing preferences related to authorization decision letters in the Custom Learning Center, available in Payer Spaces on Availity Essentials.

After logging into Availity Essentials, select Payer Spaces from the top menu bar, then select the payer tile that corresponds to your market. Once in Payer Spaces, select the Custom Learning Center application, then select the Resources section to view or download the Reference Guide on managing receipt of authorization decision letters.

Training is available

To learn more about the Authorizations and Referrals application, you can sign up for training. In Availity Essentials, select Help & Training, then select Get Trained. In the Category drop-down menu, select Authorizations & Referrals.

We will soon share information with you about our upcoming provider preference center, where you will be able to select your preferred mode of communication about authorization cases.

We are committed to a future of shared success.