L.A. Care’s systemic failure to timely process prior authorizations for health care services delayed members’ access to medically necessary health care services and had a detrimental impact on its members. Examples of member harm caused by authorization delays include a cancer patient’s health deteriorating, a plan member suffering extreme pain for over two weeks, and another cancer patient given a prognosis of six to nine months to live who disenrolled from L.A. Care because of treatment delays.
