Meanings
noun
alternative informal prior auth
- USgovernmentA requirement by a health insurance companies that patients obtain approval before receiving certain medical services, procedures, or medications.
“I once had to do a prior auth for United for a glass bottle,” a medical resident wrote. “The compounded intranasal midazolam was covered, but the glass bottle it came in was not.”
2024 December 6, Samantha Cole, “Moderators Across Social Media Struggle to Contain Celebrations of UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Assassination”, in 404 Media
Cite this entry
APA
prior authorization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prior%20authorization
MLA
“prior authorization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prior%20authorization. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prior authorization,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prior%20authorization.
Source: prior authorization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.