If UCSF scheduling staff is required to be well-versed in insurance types (PPO vs HMO, for example) and schedule appointments accordingly, the university may have fewer write offs.

For example:

I schedule appointments and obtain authorizations for the Voice & Swallowing Center, a subdivision of Otolaryngology. I identify whether a patient needs authorization prior to confirming an appointment date with them; for those with HMO-type plans, they are scheduled ~1-2 weeks out, depending on the insurance company, to ensure there is adequate time to obtain an authorization.

On the other hand, our General Otolaryngology department sometimes accepts walk-in appointments, and the staff is able to schedule next-available appointments (oftentimes within the next couple days) without checking to see if an authorization is needed. This results in the need to request retro auths, which certain insurance companies do not allow, and it leaves ambiguity when determining whether or not a visit will be covered if it was scheduled during the timeframe the authorization is pending.

Unless an appointment is medically-urgent (as determined by a RN or provider), patients who require authorization for routine services should be scheduled out with enough time to obtain such authorization. This still offers excellent patient care while increasing the likelihood of an insurance company paying the university for the billed services.