I put together a one-page intake call script in Google Docs for specialty referrals, and it cut our average call time to 2:45 last month. If anyone wants the blank template, I can share; I’d also welcome ideas to streamline insurance verification and prior auth checks so we don’t hand off calls unnecessarily.
We got close to your “2:45” by adding a payer quick-check in the script: while confirming demographics, we grab plan name + member ID and run an eligibility ping in Availity (https://www.availity.com)… I also use a tiny PA macro in the EHR that flags if the CPT/modifier usually needs auth for that payer so I can say yes/no on the call instead of handing off. Caveat: Availity misses some Blues/Medicaid — — so we keep a bookmarked sheet of direct payer portals and only escalate if two portals time out.
Quick tip: we shaved about 20 seconds by adding one branch that asks for a “likely procedure” (we pick from a short list like EMG, MRI, injection) and the script pops a payer-specific auth matrix so the caller can say “auth required/not required” without a handoff. We also grab the referring provider NPI during the call — if they don’t know it, we pull it from https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/ — which saves a follow-up when submitting the auth. Small caveat: teaching the team the 8-item list took a week, but it’s stuck and worth it.