Authorization number on insurer invoices: do not lose it
The smallest field with the biggest impact on cash
The authorization number (also called authorization reference, ASISA referral identifier, or Sanitas DU) is the glue between prescription, performed act and invoice.
Calculate revenue lost to authorisations
Use the SaludComply authorisation diagnostic to estimate monthly loss, recoverable range and operational complexity. No patient data required.
Where the link breaks
The authorization number lives in a tab, a PDF, a call or a portal. Manual handoffs break it.
How to control the field without rewriting the EHR
Store the number where appointment and patient live, not in a parallel spreadsheet. Note channel of origin. Validate against an approved, valid authorization for that act before billing.
What SaludComply does with the authorization number
SaludComply keeps the authorization number next to patient, act, appointment date and expiry. If the invoice is returned with a wrong number, the agent proposes a dispute with the correct one.
Frequently asked questions
- Where does the authorisation number live on the insurer invoice?
- The authorisation number —also called authorisation reference, ASISA referral identifier or Sanitas unique document number (DU)— is the link between prescription, performed act and invoice. If it is missing from the invoice or appears with a changed digit, the insurer can return it as "no authorisation" even though the authorisation exists. That is why it should live next to the patient, the act and the appointment date.
- Where does the link between authorisation and invoice break?
- The authorisation number usually lives in a tab, a PDF, a call or a portal. If reception types it by hand it can reach billing with a missing digit; if it only reaches the patient's email it may never reach the clinic; and if the authorisation is renewed, the number can change and the invoice go out with the old one. Together, these points explain a substantial share of invoice rejections for authorisation.
- What does SaludComply do with the authorisation number?
- The agent keeps the authorisation number next to the patient, the act, the appointment date and its expiry date. If the insurer returns an invoice for a wrong number, it proposes the dispute with the correct number and the original documentation; if the number changes through renewal, the queue updates the next invoice before reception issues it. Every action is held for human approval and the agent does not replace the HIS.
Verified sources
- ASISA — Cómo puedo autorizar un servicio — volante y número identificador
- Sanitas — Portal de proveedores — facturación y referencias
- Adeslas — Autorizaciones — proceso oficial