Armada Health Care has announced ApproveRx, a Web-based platform that streamlines the prior authorization process by expediting communication between pharmacies, prescribers, and payers. Using traditional methods, prior authorizations can take several days and involve hours of effort from pharmacies and prescribers. ApproveRx improves turnaround time by facilitating accurate completion of prior authorization forms for virtually all insurance plans and drugs, eliminating time-consuming phone calls and faxes.

Lawrence Irene, a pharmacist and CEO of Armada, says, "We have made the entire process electronic, from form selection and completion, through tracking submissions and status. And, because it requires only a standard browser, ApproveRx can be immediately integrated within existing workflows, making it an easy-to-deploy tool."

The way it works is that after a user enters a drug name and insurance plan, ApproveRx locates the required insurance or PBM prior-authorization form from a central repository of thousands of documents. Users can leverage ApproveRx's address book feature to pre-populate forms with existing patient data for faster completion. The forms are then submitted to a prescriber or 
health plan for approval using the ApproveRx's e-fax capability. The process of transferring data between prescribers, pharmacies, and health plans is HIPAA compliant to 
protect patient privacy. Forms may also be completed in hard copy. 
ApproveRx also provides a dash- board feature to track authorization status to reduce abandoned prescriptions.