Term Details - Authorization, Health Services
Generally, authorization is approval to use health services or specialists outside of a managed care network, or for coverage of a hospitalization. A primary care physician can often authorize services and referrals to specialists; however, sometimes a health plan requires the patient to obtain prior authorization from the plan itself for non-emergency hospital admissions or for certain high-cost or high-tech procedures.
Back to term indexLast Edited: December 3rd, 2010