Expanded Availability for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) FAST PASS Authorization Process

The Fast Pass Authorization process has been available for use on weekends and holidays since October 2021. This process helps acute care facilities expedite the review and authorization for members needing SNF admission and provides assurance of claims payments when criteria are met without the need for a traditional prior authorization approval.

To better support timely transitions of care, Health Alliance is pleased to announce that the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Fast Pass Authorization process is now available 7 days a week.

You may now initiate the process any day of the week — Monday through Sunday. This expansion is designed to improve efficiency and ensure continuity of care for members transitioning from acute care to a skilled nursing facility.

To utilize the fast pass, providers take the following steps:
1) Complete the attached checklist.
2) Review results of scoring system and if indicative of meeting skilled coverage, proceed.
3) Complete PA letter form and send to SNF and Health Alliance with SNF checklist.

Members who do not meet criteria by using the SNF checklist may still qualify for admission to skilled nursing upon further review. In these situations the hospital care team can request a review by the health plan through the standard process of prior authorization request by phone or fax on the next business day. Also, members who do not qualify for SNF placement are eligible for home healthcare services which do not require prior authorization for the majority of our plans.

Please visit Provider.HealthAlliance.org and click on “Utilization Management” to view the SNF Clinical Checklist including a fillable letter template and FAQ. The forms should be accessed before using your provider log-in to the website. As always, feel free to reach out to your Health Alliance provider relations specialist if you have any questions.

SNF Fast Pass SNF Clinical Checklist – NEW.xlsx