Surescripts®, the nation’s leading health intelligence network, released new data illustrating significant impact of solutions, including Prior Authorization Automation and Real-Time Prescription Benefit, in reducing cost barriers and delays that often limit a patient’s access to the prescription medications they need.
Since December 2025, providers enabled with Surescripts Prior Authorization Automation solution, that can deliver 18-second (median) approvals when all criteria are met, increased 50%, totaling 68,000 prescribers across 42 health systems. In the same time period, Surescripts Real-Time Prescription benefit saved patients $19.7 million, outpacing the total savings in 2025.
“When patients no longer need to make decisions about their treatment due to cost concerns or prior authorization delays, we have made an impact on improving their care,” said Frank Harvey, Chief Executive Officer for Surescripts. “Surescripts is focused on innovations like automating prior authorizations and enabling visibility into benefit and price intelligence at the point of care because it means helping patients access the treatments and care they need.”
The latest report highlights the impact of Surescripts solutions on addressing one of the most cited challenges facing patients. According to a survey, 87% of pharmacists and 89% of prescribers said that prior authorization requirements negatively impact health outcomes, and 49% of prescribers said prior authorization requirements often prevent them from prescribing a medication their patients need. In addition, only 55% of Americans could readily access and afford basic healthcare and prescribed medicines, a decline from 2022, according to a report.
“As affordability pressures intensify for patients—particularly for specialty, diabetes and obesity medications—the need to meaningfully remove obstacles at the point of care has never been more critical,” said Kat Thorp, Vice President, Product Innovation, Medication Access for Surescripts. “The latest data confirms the impact of our collaboration with payers and health systems to enable automated workflows that help patients start therapy sooner and can lead to better experiences, better adherence and better outcomes.”
Impact Report: Prescription Intelligence When and Where It’s Needed
Data Highlights:
Prior Authorization Automation automatically matches clinical data with determination criteria at the time of prescribing. Surescripts sends the data directly to the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) for determination, which usually comes in seconds.
- 18 seconds median approval time when all criteria are met
- 104 medications supported (up from 40 in 2024)
- Available to 68,000 prescribers across 42 health systems (with another 119,000 prescribers expected to go live in 2026)
- 34% automated approval rate for in-scope medications
Real-Time Prescription Benefit allows prescribers to see what a patient’s benefit plan covers at the point of care. Prescribers can see the amount a patient will pay at their chosen pharmacy and if prior authorization is required, then choose a therapeutic alternative in seconds.
- Between January and April 2026, Real-Time Prescription Benefit saved patients $19.7 million, outpacing the $55.1 million saved in 2025
- In 2025, prescribers used Real-Time Prescription Benefit 1 billion times and when used to find a lower-cost alternative, patients saved an average of $77 per prescription and $817 per specialty prescription
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Average savings by medication class per prescription between January and April 2026:
- Antipsychotics (Neuroleptics): $193.85
- Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory or Antipyretic – Non-Opioid: $179.90
- Diabetic Therapy: $100.58
- Thyroid Therapy: $65.88
- Beta Adrenergic Blockers: $45.80
About Surescripts
Our purpose is to serve the nation through simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing, in order to increase patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care. At Surescripts, we bring healthcare together to inform and accelerate decisions, helping keep patient care on track. With the Surescripts Network Alliance®, we’re empowering the healthcare ecosystem with intelligence and interoperability for smarter, faster prescribing, prior authorization, treatment, care management and more.
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