Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts tested an AI system called FastPass that automatically processed prior authorization requests for medical procedures, reducing approval times from an average of nine days to less than one day. The pilot ran at New England Baptist Hospital in 2022 in partnership with AI company Olive.

FastPass used AI to cross-check a provider's prior authorization requirements in real time and, when authorization was required, matched the patient's electronic medical record clinical history against Blue Cross's medical necessity criteria to automatically generate a recommendation. For more complex cases requiring human review, the system automatically packaged and surfaced all relevant clinical documentation for the clinical review team. The pilot covered hip and knee procedures for 32 orthopedic providers over four months, and 88% of prior authorization submissions were processed automatically in real time.