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In reply to the discussion: Murdered Insurance CEO Had Deployed an AI to Automatically Deny Benefits for Sick People [View all]AdamGG
(1,525 posts)I worked at a movement disorders clinic (Parkinson's, Tourette's, etc.) at a hospital in Boston. If an expensive drug is prescribed (often levodopa where I was), the insurance companies require the doctor to fax paperwork giving a detailed explanation of why the patient needs it.
Then, the approval is only for 6 months and they will discontinue coverage if they don't get faxed an explanation all over again. These were high level doctors who were very busy - seeing patients one day a week, running research labs, lecturing overseas.
The burden of the paperwork fell entirely on clerical staff, who were already busy and things fell through the cracks. That's what the insurance companies count on, that if they make people repeatedly jump through hurdles, that some of them won't follow up and the company won't have to pay.