pre-authorization

noun

pre-au·​tho·​ri·​za·​tion ˌprē-ˌȯ-th(ə-)rə-ˈzā-shən 

variants or preauthorization

: prior authorization

pre-authorization of credit card purchases

especially : authorization (as by an insurer) that is required prior to performance of a health care service (such as a surgery or prescription of a drug)

Hospital leaders expect the new managed care companies to demand pre-authorization for many treatments, which could lead to fewer reimbursements and more hospital staff time devoted to hashing out billing differences.

—Tony Leys

Preauthorization requires doctors, like me, to spend time we do not have dealing with insurance companies to get the medicine our patients so desperately need.

—Chinazo Cunningham

pre-authorize

ˌprē-ˈȯ-thə-ˌrīz 

transitive verb

or preauthorize

Examples of pre-authorization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To manage the hefty price tag, insurers have implemented extensive pre-authorization procedures. —Jason Kane, NBC News, 18 Jan. 2025

In addition to the new EES system, the European Union will also plan to implement a pre-authorization system next year called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (or ETIAS). —Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 15 Oct. 2024

Zoom out: The Biden administration and some lawmakers have ramped up scrutiny of Medicare Advantage plans over the past couple years following reports of predatory marketing schemes, overuse of pre-authorization requirements and data suggesting the plans are overpaid. —Maya Goldman, Axios, 30 July 2024

Chug the rocket fuel that Starbucks calls cold brew and lock in. 10 a.m. — Send out a pre-authorization form to the wedding venue for our wedding tasting dinner. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 26 July 2024

This will result in inferior coverage with many pre-authorizations prior to getting treatment. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 23 July 2024

Some plans may require pre-authorization from your healthcare provider, such as a prescription. —Erica Jackson Curran, Parents, 15 July 2024

Nearly three years ago, a federal court ruled that the FDA was violating the Tobacco Control Act by allowing e-cigarette products that did not have FDA pre-authorization to stay on the market. —Jen Christensen, CNN, 12 June 2024

On the minus side, though, the obesity drugs are expensive and often require doctors to fill out burdensome pre-authorization forms for insurance. —Gina Kolata, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pre-authorization

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization