Advancements in automation are cutting into the rising costs of manual healthcare transactions Prior authorizations in particular are a complex, time-consuming function that would be well served by technology. , Associate Editor Inefficiency is an issue that continues to plague many areas of healthcare, particularly when it comes to manual administrative functions. While the industry is increasingly harnessing technology – evidenced by the use of telehealth and the push for electronic health record interoperability – administrative complexity continues to be burdensome, and largely paper- and fax-driven. This essentially means cost savings are being left on the table. Healthcare technology and research firm CAQH recently released a report detailing the extent to which savings could be achieved by adding automation and AI-powered tech to this administrative morass. While the industry has so far avoided about $122 billion in costs by streamlining certain processes, there now exists an opportunity to save an additional $16.3 billion by fully automating certain manual transactions.