Medicare program to use AI for pre-approval of medical procedures

A new program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will require prior authorization, or pre-approval, from insurers for certain medical procedures. The government says the program will test whether it can reduce waste, fraud, and abuse and will start rolling out next year in Ohio, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington.

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The program applies only to traditional Medicare , which provides millions with government health insurance for people 65 and older and those with disabilities. Some medical services that will face the extra prior authorization step include steroid injections, spine surgeries, and skin substitutes — treatments the government says that could cost billions in unnecessary taxpayer dollars each year.