Horizon Authorization Management Moves to Availity Essentials
11/05/2026
Starting October 24, 2026, Horizon providers must manage authorization activity through Availity Essentials rather than the Horizon Utilization Management Tool. The new workflow brings inpatient and outpatient authorization submissions, status inquiries, activity tracking and electronic correspondence into one platform. The Authorization Dashboard includes filtering, sorting and draft-management capabilities. After the transition, access to the previous tool will be limited to appeals associated with existing authorizations.
Practices should confirm that each employee who submits or tracks authorizations has an Availity account and that the organization’s administrator can create accounts where needed. Staff should also complete Horizon’s available training and establish a process for monitoring the dashboard and correspondence. Because the legacy tool remains available for appeals tied to existing authorizations, teams should not assume it has disappeared entirely. The key operational change is where new authorization work is handled; the notice does not indicate that the underlying clinical criteria have changed as part of this portal transition.
Why it matters
Authorization staff need to distinguish a new request from an appeal tied to an existing authorization. Horizon’s move changes where authorization management is handled; the legacy UM tool remains available only for appeals on existing authorizations, according to the notice. Using the retired workflow for a new request can delay care or leave the request unrecorded.
What practices should do
Route new authorization requests through Availity Essentials from the October 24 transition date. Use the legacy UM tool only for appeals attached to existing authorizations, as described in the notice. Update the authorization team’s saved links, training material and handoffs with scheduling staff, and test that each completed submission has a reference number or confirmation before the service date.