All PlansAdministrativeMedium impact
New in Availity Essentials: Streamline Authorization Follow-Ups by Viewing and Responding to RFAI Online
Ambetter·TN·Prior Authorization
We identified it
Sep 4, 2026
Summary
Availity Essentials now allows providers to view and respond to Requests for Additional Information (RFAI) directly within the platform instead of via phone or fax. This streamlines the prior authorization follow-up process by enabling secure online submission of supporting clinical documentation through a centralized Authorization/Referral Dashboard.
Action Required
Immediately: Billing and authorization team members must familiarize themselves with the new RFAI online workflow in Availity Essentials. (1) Access the Authorization/Referral Dashboard and identify requests with 'Pending Action – Contact Payer' status. (2) Review the 'Review Reason 1' field for payer messages and RFAI section details. (3) Prepare to upload clinical documentation (up to 10 attachments, 64 MB total) directly in Availity instead of submitting via fax or phone. (4) For authorizations submitted outside Availity Essentials (fax or other portals), use the Authorization/Referral Inquiry tool to pin them to the dashboard for tracking. (5) Complete the three-minute demo training available from the Availity Essentials homepage (Help & Training > Get Trained, search 'CNC'). Failure to transition to online RFAI responses may delay authorization approvals, as requests sent before an authorization is pinned to the dashboard will continue to arrive through previous channels.