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May 12, 2026 · 7 min read
A prior-authorization playbook for TMS programs
How the best TMS practices submit, track, and renew authorizations without losing sessions to lapsed approvals.
By Faisal Rafiq, MD
Most TMS programs lose more revenue to expiring authorizations than to denials. The denial is loud; the lapse is silent.
Treat authorization as a clock, not a status
Every approved authorization is a countdown. The day you receive the letter is the day you set two reminders: one at 14 days before the end date, one at 5. If the patient is mid-course, the reminder is non-negotiable.
Three workflows that prevent lapses
- A weekly review of every active authorization, sorted by remaining sessions.
- A pre-submission template that captures everything the payer routinely asks for.
- A single owner for each authorization — not a shared inbox.
What we built into Polaris
The notifications inbox flags authorizations expiring inside 14 days and re-flags any that pass 5 days. The auth workbench lets you see remaining sessions across every active patient on one screen.