STAR overview
Clinical review, reinvented with STAR
STAR offers real-time approvals. Better for you, better for patients.
It's about time
You’ve been hoping for a faster, simpler, more streamlined process that can give clinical authorization approvals within seconds. Who wants to spend time waiting on hold?
Smart Technology Authorization Request (STAR) is a whole new experience when you’re requesting an authorization of care. Created with care through real behavioral health professional input and testing, it reinvents the process to expedite approvals and take less of your time.
STAR submissions take less than 10 minutes to enter, and about 50% are approved in real time. Even when an Optum care advocate collects additional clarifying information via chat, STAR takes 30% less time on average than a standard clinical review.*
A better clinical review experience
STAR confirms patient eligibility and benefits to save time. It asks a limited number of relevant questions about the patient’s symptoms and severity, risk and proposed treatment. Then, it instantly reviews the information, comparing it with industry-recognized guidelines and best practices.
STAR Campaign Video
(Video Length – 2:52)
Video Transcript
STAR Campaign Video
[LOGO]
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: As a behavioral health professional, you’re all too familiar with the inefficient industry protocols for authorizations]
As a behavioral health professional, you’re all too familiar with the inefficient industry protocols for authorizations. And you probably dread it.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Sitting on hold
Unnecessary initial & concurrent reviews
Scanning & uploading forms]
Time is wasted on hold, doing unnecessary initial and concurrent reviews, and dealing with forms.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: 30 minutes per patient
Hundreds of hours per year]
On average, a standard review takes an average of 30 minutes per patient for clinical accuracy, which may add up to hundreds of hours per year.
Meanwhile, patients may run out of time and may leave before the request is approved, which can mean not getting needed treatment.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Optum Behavioral Health]
At Optum Behavioral Health, we set out to reinvent the clinical review process.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: The clinical review process should be
fast
simple
streamlined]
The clinical review process should be fast, simple, and streamlined, with real-time results.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: STAR
Smart Technology Authorization Request]
Introducing STAR, Optum’s groundbreaking system that provides many approvals in real time.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Here’s how it works:
Jane
Patient]
Here’s how it works: Jane is a UR specialist for an Optum Behavioral Health contracted facility seeking approval to admit a patient for inpatient care.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Fast and easy access
24/7 Portal
STAR]
So, she reaches for her laptop, entering through Optum’s 24/7 Provider Express portal and accesses STAR.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Provider ID
Patient’s Member ID
Diagnosis
Level of Care]
Jane types in her provider ID, patient’s member ID, diagnosis and level of care being requested.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Simple verification]
STAR verifies that the request is appropriate and redirects Jane accordingly if it’s not.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Streamlined information
- Symptoms and severity
- Patient risk
- Proposed treatment]
Jane provides clinical information in these three categories:
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Streamlined information
1. Symptoms and severity
2. Patient risk
3. Proposed treatment]
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: 1. Symptoms and severity
· Delusions
· Hallucinations
· Disorganized thinking]
Symptoms and severity, such as whether the client is experiencing delusions or hallucinations.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Streamlined information
2. Patient risk
· Signs of harm to self or others
· Substance use/misuse
· Biomedical/physical conditions]
Patient risk, like signs of harm to self or others.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Streamlined information
3. Proposed treatment
· Medication management
· Cognitive behavioral therapy
· Family therapy]
Proposed treatment, such as medication management, psychotherapy, family therapy, etc.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: STAR
Rapid results]
STAR then compares the information with industry-recognized guidelines and best practices, and Jane may receive an authorization in seconds.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Jane
Optum Care Advocate]
In some cases, STAR may connect Jane with an Optum Care Advocate via STAR’s built-in chat function. When this occurs, additional clarifying clinical information will be collected as needed.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: STAR (Chat time) 16 minutes
Optum’s standard clinical review process 34 minutes]
Even in these cases, STAR is much faster compared to the standard clinical review process. Jane saves time. Patients get faster access to care.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: “Easy to use. Quick results.”
–Behavioral health staff in Ohio
“The real-time response is great, because if a patient is waiting too long to be admitted, they often become frustrated and leave.”
–Behavioral health staff in Texas]
The feedback we’re receiving about STAR confirms that it’s meeting the day-to-day needs of behavioral health providers and giving them back their time.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: How can you reach for STAR]
So, how can you reach for STAR the next time you need treatment authorization?
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Register at learn.optum.com/optumhealth/star-um]
It’s easy. First, register in about five minutes.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Get trained at learn.optum.com/learn/sign_in]
Next, get trained by doing a 60-minute self-paced online course.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Get started with STAR]
As soon as training is complete, we’ll activate your STAR connection.
[ON-SCREEN TEXT: STAR
Clinical review, reinvented. It’s about time]
Sign up for STAR today. Clinical review, reinvented. It’s about time.
[LOGO]
Testimonial
"The order of the questions goes from admission to discharge, which is exactly how we would provide care anyway. I like this much better."
– Behavioral health staff in Nebraska
Testimonial
“The real-time response is great. If patients must wait too long to be admitted, they often become frustrated and leave …”
– Behavioral health staff in Texas
STAR product features
- You only need to provide the most relevant clinical information
for your patient. - A real-time chat feature allows for easy exchange of information if necessary.
- You’ll experience fewer delays and more first-contact resolutions.
- The save-as-draft feature allows you to begin
a request now and complete it later. - STAR is easy to learn through a self-paced, 60-minute online training.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
*Optum STAR key metrics program data from in-network facilities authorizing behavioral health treatment admissions to inpatient, residential and partial hospital levels of care for members from May 2021 to July 2021, McCarthy, August 2021.