Because the authorization has to be in hand before the service, and obtaining one takes days. Finding out at check-in that a procedure needed approval means rescheduling the patient, redoing the work and risking a denial if the service goes ahead. Knowing at scheduling lets staff start the request immediately and book the appointment with enough lead time.
In careviso's April 2025 survey, 81% of patients said prior-authorization requirements negatively affected their ability to get timely care. For the practice, each late discovery is a reschedule, a second verification and an unhappy patient. The cost of checking the requirement upfront is a few seconds with the right tool.
