Discussing Strategies for Insurance Authorization Success, with Janelle Ball

The SDPA Annual Summer Dermatology Conference in Washington, DC, featured a session at the meeting titled ‘Professional Development Track: Navigating Insurance Authorizations,’ hosted by Janelle Ball.

Janelle Ball is known for her prior work in the field of dermatology as well as her role as founder, CEO, and biologic coordinator consultant for BC Educators LLC. Ball was interviewed by the HCPLive editorial team on-site at the SDPA meeting, and she was first asked about which common challenges she sees in dermatology practices when it comes to prior authorizations, along with ways clinicians and PAs can avoid them.

“The biggest challenge is just not having a process set up, and not having everybody working on the prior authorizations,” Ball explained. “You know, if everybody doesn't understand how to get a prior authorization, or just knowing how to educate patients, those are some of the biggest challenges…If you're having multiple hands in the pot, it slows the process down a lot. So if you have a dedicated person who can help manage and streamline the workflow, it can help make sure patients get on medications a lot faster, providing them with resources and a point of contact.”

Ball was also asked a variety of other questions regarding achieving success with regard to insurance authorizations in the field of dermatology. She emphasized the importance of patient-centered communication in her talk, and was asked what this looks like in the context of insurance delays and about ways practices can keep patients informed without overwhelming them.

“I think the biggest thing is just keeping them in the loop,” Ball said. “Let them know as soon as something gets denied, but also let them know that just because it's denied doesn't mean it's the end of the road, making sure that they understand what the next steps are. If you know a denial happens, if there's a bridge program or a patient assistance program, [figure out] how they're going to be able to get their medication. Really educate them on the cost. Those are some of the biggest factors for patients not starting a therapy, where they don't understand the cost and they don't understand the support that's available.”

For any additional information on Ball’s insights on this topic, view her full interview segment posted above. To find out more about this and other news in the dermatology space, view our latest conference coverage.

The quotes used in this interview summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.