Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2026
Language
English
Document Type
DNP Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Cathy Brown DNP, RN, AGPCNP-BC, CNS
Abstract
Background: Medication prior authorization requirements add to administrative burden, increase labor costs, and delay patient access to treatment in outpatient specialty settings. This bottleneck directly influences nursing workload and economic performance.
Purpose: To evaluate the fiscal and performance significance of implementing an electronic prior authorization (ePA) process, standardized tracking tools, and staff education in a small orthopedic clinic.
Methods: A pre–post quality improvement design was used. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses (independent‑samples t tests and Mann–Whitney U tests) were conducted to compare time to approval, staff hours worked, satisfaction scores, and medication pickup timeframes.
Results: Significant reductions were observed in approval time and staff hours worked, along with statistically significant gains in patient and staff satisfaction and medication access time.
Financial Implications: Decreased staff work time per authorization implicates marginal labor expenditures and improved operational efficiency. Electronic submissions processes suggest improved resource allocation and reinforce quality and patient-centered care initiatives in specialty practice settings.
Keywords
medication prior authorization, electronic prior authorization, administrative burden
Disciplines
Insurance | Nursing | Pharmacy Administration, Policy and Regulation
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
BABERS, AMENA GUINN, "A Quality Improvement Project to Decrease Medication Prior Authorization Approval Times" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects-Archive. 129.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/nursing_dnpprojects/129
Included in
Insurance Commons, Nursing Commons, Pharmacy Administration, Policy and Regulation Commons