Preauthorization
Also called: pre-authorization, prior authorization, prior approval
Preauthorization is approval from a dental plan before a treatment is carried out. The practice sends the plan a request with the records it asks for, and waits for a decision. Under the Canadian Dental Care Plan, some services, including crowns, need preauthorization before the work begins.
How it shows up between practice and lab
Preauthorization puts a wait at the front of a case. The lab work starts after the approval arrives, so the case has two clocks: the plan’s and the lab’s.
A practice keeps the case moving by sending a complete request, noting the date and reviewing its open requests each week.
The lab should know when a case is waiting on approval. A case marked as pending is not started early, and nobody wonders why it has stopped.
Read more in crowns under the CDCP and CDCP and lab fees.
Related terms
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