Appeal a Prior Authorization Denial in California
California regulates prior authorization aggressively. Knox-Keene plans must respond to standard prior-authorization requests within five business days and to urgent requests within 72 hours. If the denial sits on shaky clinical ground, IMR through the DMHC will overturn it.
California Health & Safety Code section 1367.01 sets the timeframe for prior-authorization decisions. Plans that miss the deadline can be deemed to have approved the request, and the DMHC has issued penalty actions against carriers for chronic prior-authorization delays.
When you appeal a California prior-authorization denial, your letter should cite the section 1367.01 timeframe (and the actual date your provider submitted the request), the plan's own utilization-management policy or clinical-coverage bulletin (which the plan must provide on request under section 1363.5), and the DMHC's IMR right under Health & Safety Code section 1374.30.
If the denial involves emergency or urgent care, the prudent layperson standard at section 1371.4 applies and is a separate, stronger argument than ordinary medical-necessity review.
Statutes and resources cited
- California Health & Safety Code section 1367.01 (prior authorization timeframes)
- California Health & Safety Code section 1363.5 (disclosure of UM criteria)
- California Health & Safety Code section 1374.30 (Independent Medical Review)
- DMHC Help Center: HealthHelp.ca.gov / 1-888-466-2219
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