Providers see progress on prior authorization in Aetna survey

HARTFORD, Conn. — Providers’ trust in health insurers remained largely steady in the third quarter, as fewer respondents cited administrative burden as their top challenge, according to a new Aetna survey. Providers also highlighted better access to real-time patient information and efforts to curb fraud, waste and abuse as opportunities to improve care and reduce costs.

Aetna’s quarterly survey, conducted by CVS Health, found an average payer-provider trust score of 6.0 on a 10-point scale, down from 6.1 in the second quarter and 5.4 in the first.

Half of respondents said payers make decisions that prioritize patient well-being, up two percentage points from the second quarter and six points from the first. Meanwhile, 52% said payers consistently deliver on their promises, and 56% said they provide clear, understandable information, both unchanged from the previous quarter.

“Building trust remains our priority, and I am pleased to see the payer-provider trust scores remain strong. Deepening our provider relationships helps us partner closely to improve access to affordable care and makes it easier for members to navigate the health care system,” said Steve Nelson, executive vice president of CVS Health and president of Aetna.

Administrative burden remained a major concern, with 67% identifying it as their top current challenge, down seven percentage points from the second quarter. Among providers who cited administrative burden as a top challenge, 27% named prior authorization as the leading contributor, down from 31% in the previous quarter.

Updating patient medical records remained the biggest contributor to administrative burden, cited by 58% of that group, up five percentage points. Nearly one-third of all respondents said providing real-time patient information was the most important action payers could take to address their current challenges, making it the leading response.

The findings also showed broad support for addressing fraud, waste and abuse. Some 94% agreed it is a problem the health care system needs to address, and close to 60% identified lower overall health care costs as the top potential benefit.

About 30% said using artificial intelligence to flag suspicious claims or patterns was the most important action payers could take, making it the top recommendation. About 90% believed AI was already helping address the issue.

Morning Consult conducted the national survey in the third quarter of 2026 among 727 participants, including hospital system executives, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health IT leaders. The overall margin of error was ±4 percentage points.