Optum, a leading health services and technology company under UnitedHealth Group, has introduced two new AI-driven solutions to tackle the longstanding inefficiencies in prior authorization a process that often delays patient care and consumes significant provider time. Announced in early February 2026, the platforms Digital Auth Complete and InterQual Auth Accelerator target both sides of the workflow: providers submitting requests and payers reviewing them.

Digital Auth Complete, developed in collaboration with Humata Health, integrates seamlessly into electronic health records (EHRs). It automatically identifies orders requiring authorization by connecting to more than 250 payer systems, surfaces active coverage details, gathers necessary clinical documentation, applies payer rules, and submits requests with minimal manual intervention. Early deployments have shown a 45% reduction in manual touches, an 80% improvement in document bundling efficiency, and a projected 96% first-pass approval rate. Allina Health, a 12-hospital system in Minneapolis, is the inaugural deployer, building on prior innovation partnerships with Optum.

InterQual Auth Accelerator leverages AI models trained by clinical experts and paired with Optum’s trusted InterQual Criteria to review prior authorization submissions. It converts documentation into machine-readable formats, compares requests against coverage policies, highlights supporting clinical evidence, and provides recommendations for review teams. The tool reduces average review time by 56% compared to traditional methods. It supports customizable automation levels from guided reviews to fully automated approvals but explicitly does not allow automatic denials, ensuring human experts retain final decision-making authority. This design helps payers meet CMS regulatory requirements on prior authorization timelines and interoperability.

Together, the tools aim to minimize friction in a process that burdens providers (who spend an average of 13 hours per week on prior auth tasks) and delays patient access to necessary care. By combining intelligent automation with responsible AI safeguards, they promote clearer submissions, faster approvals, fewer avoidable denials, and better resource allocation across the healthcare ecosystem. The launches build on Optum’s broader AI initiatives, such as real-time claims validation, to create more connected and efficient administrative workflows.