Humana, athenahealth Expand Electronic Prior Authorization Access Nationwide

The initiative aims to reduce administrative work for physician practices, streamline information exchange between payers and providers, and help patients access care faster.

Humana and athenahealth are expanding electronic prior authorization capabilities nationwide through a collaboration that connects the health insurer with more than 180,000 providers across athenahealth’s athenaOne network. The initiative aims to reduce administrative work for physician practices, streamline information exchange between payers and providers, and help patients access care faster.

The integration, facilitated through athenaPayer, enables Humana to connect with providers using a common electronic workflow for prior authorization requests, reducing the need for phone calls, fax exchanges, and multiple health plan portals.

According to athenahealth's internal data, more than 6,000 providers processed nearly 35,000 electronic prior authorizations with Humana in September 2026. More than 70% of these requests were completed without requiring additional information from practice staff.

Paul Brient, chief product and operations officer at athenahealth, said fragmented prior authorization processes create additional administrative work for physician practices. He noted that connecting health plans and providers through a common workflow could reduce the burden on both sides while improving the speed of information exchange.

For Humana, the expanded collaboration is part of its broader strategy to improve care access by reducing the number of services requiring prior authorization and simplifying the process where it remains necessary.

“Our goal is straightforward: help people get the right care at the right time while reducing unnecessary burden on the physicians and care teams who serve them,” said Traci Granston, MD, vice president of clinical innovation and trend at Humana.

The announcement follows a broader industry push to reform prior authorization practices. In June 2025, Humana and other major US health insurers agreed to take steps to simplify the process, including expanding support for electronic prior authorizations.

The nationwide expansion comes amid continued efforts across the US healthcare system to address administrative barriers that can delay treatment and increase workloads for clinical and administrative teams. Electronic prior authorization systems are intended to standardize request submission and information exchange, reducing reliance on manual processes.

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