About Us

Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

A Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Social Media

Bluesky • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • YouTube

Meet the Laser Focus World Team

Editorial

Sales

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology
My Watchlist
Indicators
Industrial Laser Index
Markets
Stocks
ETFs
Tools
Markets:
Overview
News
Currencies
International
Treasuries

KLAS Reports Significant Time Saved with Surescripts Medication Prior Authorization Innovations, Leveraging Clinical Intelligence, Collaboration

By: via Business Wire

Surescripts®, the nation's leading health information network, shares the promising results of a new technology that enabled greater workflow efficiency and faster approvals for prior authorizations for prescription medications, featured in a new KLAS K2 Collaborative Case Study, Leveraging Innovative Technology to Streamline Medication Prior Authorizations.

The KLAS case study highlights key outcomes of a Surescripts-led collaboration with three organizations, including Cleveland Clinic, another healthcare system, and a pharmacy benefit manager. Together, they conducted an innovative demonstration that leveraged clinical intelligence to advance electronic prior authorizations for prescription medications, supporting greater workflow efficiency while maintaining essential clinical integrity.

Key outcomes from the KLAS case study include:

  • Reduction in approval time, leading to faster prescription access for patients: The healthcare organizations reported that with the previous, manual process, prior authorizations for GLP-1 medications took 15.0–20.0 minutes; with the automation, that time has dropped to an average of 0.5–3.0 minutes.

  • Increase in automated approvals: 62% of approvals for in-scope medications (of which there are now over 20) are now automated, leading to 25% of applicable prior authorization requests being automatically approved.

  • Improvement in provider experience: For in-scope medications, there has been an 88% reduction in appeals and a 68% reduction in denials caused by a lack of information.

  • Decrease in physician abandonment rate: The percentage of requests for which physicians receive a question set for additional information but never complete it (i.e., the physician abandonment rate) has dropped from 31% to 25%.

  • Improved efficiency: The automation has improved provider efficiency with administrative processes, giving providers more time to focus on patient care. It has also saved substantial FTE time, which can be repurposed to other tasks.

Obtaining prior authorization for prescription medications can be a necessary step for patients to leverage their health plan benefits for the treatments they need. However, the process often requires overburdened providers to complete multiple manual, time-consuming steps to track down clinical information, including sending faxes and making phone calls. A recent survey showed clinicians who prescribe, including 65% of physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, as well as 57% of pharmacists, indicate that reducing administrative tasks would have the greatest positive impact on patient care and health.

“We know that there is a heavy administrative burden for clinicians, pharmacies, and benefit plans related to medication-related prior authorizations,” said Tara Dragert, Chief Product Officer for Surescripts. “Reducing the time spent sending faxes and making phone calls means clinicians can spend more time caring for patients, which is critical to how we are helping healthcare heal itself.”

According to the KLAS case study, Surescripts technology provided “automation [that] has reduced approval times, denial rates, and physician abandonment rates, resulting in quicker access for patients to needed medication.”

“This project demonstrated the power of tackling shared challenges with innovative technology and cross-industry collaboration. And when trusted intelligence on benefits and authorizations is leveraged at the right time, patients get high-quality, affordable care sooner, creating a better experience that supports better outcomes,” added Dragert. “We thank the Surescripts Network Alliance® members who participated and look forward to continuing to expand our impact and improving patient care together.”

Background:

An American Medical Association survey indicates that 78% of physicians said the prior authorization process sometimes causes their patients to abandon treatment, 94% said it delays necessary care, and 79% said it can lead patients to pay for medications out of pocket. Physicians and their staff also reported spending an average of 12 hours a week completing prior authorizations and said that phone was the most commonly used method. Virtually all (95%) said that the process increases physician burnout.

A majority of pharmacists and prescribers described following up on prior authorizations as “very frustrating” in a 2021 Surescripts survey. and a quarter of pharmacists still used fax to process them.

About Surescripts

Our purpose is to serve the nation through simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing, in order to increase patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care. At Surescripts, we align healthcare organizations across the nation and convene the Surescripts Network Alliance® to give healthcare professionals the trusted insights they need to serve patients. Together, we’re making interoperability an everyday reality, making it simpler to choose medications patients can afford and adhere to, and getting specialty medications to patients more efficiently. Visit us at surescripts.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts

More News

View More
Lower Rates Put RV Stocks Back in the Fast Lane
Via MarketBeat
Tickers CWH THO WGO
Alphabet: Time to Take Profits, Buy, or Wait for a Pullback?
Via MarketBeat
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Tickers GOOGL
Hershey vs. Mondelez: Which Stock Wins Chocolate Season?
Via MarketBeat
Topics Economy
Tickers HSY MDLZ PEP
Thor Industries Tracking for New Highs in 2026
Via MarketBeat
Topics Economy
Tickers THO
Cintas Stock Sends a Clear Buy Signal as Momentum Builds
Via MarketBeat
Topics Government
Tickers CTAS
Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.