Arkansas House Bill 1271 became effective on January 1, 2024. Under this legislation, prior authorization may not be required for certain health care services if Cigna Healthcare has approved at least 90 percent of the prior authorization requests submitted by the provider for the particular health care service within a six-month evaluation period.

In addition, Cigna Healthcare requires that the provider submit at least five prior authorization requests for the particular health care service within the same six-month evaluation period.

Cigna Healthcare will periodically reassess prior authorization data and claims submissions to determine whether a provider qualifies, or continues to qualify, for exemption status for a certain health care service. Providers will be notified of their initial or continuing prior authorization exemption status.

Any exemption status will remain in place for at least 12 months and is subject to a patient’s eligibility and plan design or benefit limitations. All other codes and services not identified as exempt will continue to require prior authorization per standard requirements.

Additional information

For additional information about Arkansas House Bill 1271, please email PriorAuthExemption@Cigna.com. To read frequently asked questions on this topic, go to Cigna.com > For Providers > Coverage and Claims > Prior Authorizations > Arkansas Prior Authorization Exemption Legislation FAQs.