of 6— Understand what Waystar Auth Accelerate does

What you'll accomplish

By the end of this guide, you'll understand how Waystar's Auth Accelerate platform works, what it can automate in your prior authorization workflow, and how to get it set up and integrated with your existing EHR. When fully implemented, Waystar can reduce prior authorization submission time by up to 70% and cut average payer response time from 4+ days to under 1 day for auto-approvable cases.

What you'll need

An active Waystar account (contact Waystar for enterprise pricing; your ASC management company may already have a contract)
Your EHR system (SIS, HST Pathways, or other) with admin access — or an IT contact who has it
A list of your 10 most common procedure/payer combinations (you'll configure these first)
A 2–4 hour setup window with IT support
Time needed: 2–4 hours initial setup; ongoing time savings begin immediately after
Cost: Contact Waystar for pricing — enterprise contracts; your ASC management company (USPI, SCA, etc.) may have a group rate

Note: If your center doesn't currently have Waystar, start by contacting them at waystar.com for a demo. Many centers already use Waystar for claims submission — adding Auth Accelerate is an add-on module.

How-To Guide: Setting Up Waystar for Prior Authorization Automation

Step 1: Understand what Waystar Auth Accelerate does

Before setup, it helps to understand what the tool actually automates:

What it automates:

Identifies when a case on your OR schedule requires prior authorization (based on payer rules)
Pre-fills authorization request forms with clinical data from your EHR
Submits requests electronically to payers who accept electronic submissions
Tracks authorization status across all open requests in a single dashboard
Alerts you when authorizations are approved, pending, or denied
Handles some payers' auto-approval workflows without human intervention

What it doesn't automate:

Clinical documentation that doesn't exist in your EHR yet (you still need notes from the physician)
Peer-to-peer reviews (still requires a physician phone call)
Fax-based payers who don't accept electronic submissions (though Waystar can handle some fax workflows)