No offense to EasyPA or all the other companies being created to capitalize on a prior authorization system that is increasingly weaponized against patients and physicians, but this isn’t the answer.
Insurers can legally ‘algorithmically’ issue PAs, capitalizing on AI and IT systems to toss burdens on patients, and physicians, and it’s being done for ever smaller dollar amounts, because no human ever has to touch them. On the other side of the PA, patients can only contest PA’s through the “issuing provider”. And better, it’s the physician that often has to spend hours contesting larger PA problems.
When prior authorization was ‘born’ in the 1970s, you didn’t have computing or data flows like you do now. Even in the 1990s and 2000s tiered systems of clerks, nurses and physicians at the insurer were used and routine PAs rarely reached the physician.
The advent of EHR, consolidated payment processing, and in particular AI are allowing insurers to blanket the turf with automated PAs by the millions, and institute appeal requirements that make it uneconomical for patients or physicians to appeal. They’re gaming the appeals process. They’ve even expanded clawbacks to ‘retroactive’ prior authorization determinations.
It’s nuts, and making it more efficient with “AI” isn’t the answer. Didn’t physicians used to have a political lobby group in DC? 🤢
The ABEM Qualifying Exam is November 3-12, 2025 and its not too late to register or start studying. Med-Challenger's Board Exam Simulator is built into our Emergency Medicine Exam Review course and is the perfect tool to prepare you for exams.
Don't forget that Med-Challenger's Emergency Medicine Review course also includes AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and ACEP Category 1 CME credits, making it a resource that continues to meet clinician needs well after the exam.
Med-Challenger Emergency Medicine Review with CME
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We want to explore what is being missed on exams. That is why we have started our "most missed questions" series; to examine and report exactly which questions and question types are being missed most, why, and even hone in on some exam tricks to make test taking more successful. Take a look!
Most Missed Question in Pediatric Emergency Medicine Exam Prep This Week
✅ Use the right tools – online Q-banks (like Med-Challenger), review books, and high-yield notes
✅ Make a schedule – Pace yourself, study in chunks, don't cram
✅ Target weak spots – Focus on what you miss most in practice (Med-Challenger's Board Exam Simulator pinpoints just that!)
✅ Practice under pressure – Take full-length timed tests
✅ Master strategy – Eliminate wrong answers, pace yourself
✅ Take care of YOU – Sleep, eat well, exercise, stay hydrated
✅ Find support – Study groups, mentors, friends
✅ Stay confident – Trust your preparation
Bottom line: Consistency > cramming. Take care of your brain and body, and you’ll be ready for test day.
See also: 5 Surprising Reasons Smart Doctors Fail Medical Boards—And How to Make Sure You Don’t