Founded by a team of physicians and AI experts, EasyPA launched the nation's first fully operational prior authorization (PA) platform designed to meet CMS standards two years ahead of the regulatory deadline. The platform directly addresses rising concerns over patient harm, physician burnout, and administrative waste caused by outdated PA systems — delivering real-time, AI-powered approvals and built-in compliance.

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Anyone who has experienced delays in care due to the burdensome prior authorization (PA) process from insurers will find relief in EasyPA. Founded by a team of experienced physicians and technologists, this innovative startup is tackling the inefficiencies of healthcare data exchange head-on. EasyPA has launched a fully developed, market-ready solution that streamlines the PA process—well ahead of the deadlines set by Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Interoperability and Prior Authorization Rule (CMS0057F), which aims to modernize and reform the U.S. healthcare system and rein in bloat that cost providers an estimated $528 million in 2019.

"The PA process is not just an annoying inefficiency—it's life-threatening" 

EasyPA was co-founded by three healthcare powerhouses: Dr. Paola Ballester, who is CEO and Medical Director of Utilization Management at a leading children's hospital recognized for evidence-based pediatric care and academic excellence; Alex Vega, a CTO and senior AI engineer with deep expertise in electronic health record integrations and HIPAA-compliant infrastructure; and Dr. Ralph Martello, CPO/COO, a board-certified pediatric hospitalist and expert in clinical workflow automation. Together, they designed an AI-powered prior authorization platform designed by doctors — for doctors.

"The PA process is not just an annoying inefficiency—it's life-threatening," said Dr. Martello. "We're watching patients suffer while providers chase outdated faxes and paperwork. We built EasyPA so they don't have to wait another two years for relief."

A Life-Threatening Problem

According to the American Medical Association and Medical Society of the State of New York:

94% of physicians report care delays due to PAs;
78% of patients abandon treatment altogether because of those delays;
89% of physicians report burnout from spending at least 12 hours a week managing the red tape of PAs.

In some cases, the delay isn't just costly, it's deadly. Denials and holdups have resulted in patient hospitalization, permanent harm, and even death.

"The PA process is not just an annoying inefficiency—it's life-threatening," said Dr. Martello. "We're watching patients suffer while providers chase outdated faxes and paperwork. We built EasyPA so they don't have to wait another two years for relief."

Regulatory Push Meets Real-World Action

Finalized in January 2024, CMS0057F requires Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) members to implement Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) APIs by March 2026. These interfaces enable different healthcare systems to exchange data using a standardized, web-based approach, shorten decision timelines, and publicly report PA metrics. Yet, many insurers are just beginning to react. In July, for instance, Humana announced plans to eliminate one-third of its PA requirements in response to public pressure. Industry-wide, progress remains slow.

"We have what CMS is calling for, and we have it now," said Dr. Ballester. "We've seen policy shifts and insurer promises, but our system can help insurers actually fulfill their promises." With their inside perspective, the physicians developed technology for real-world use aimed at truly streamlining the approval processes. Their innovation creates efficiencies, breaks down barriers that delay care, and leaves more time for their real priority: Helping the patients.

EasyPA is the Antidote to the Delay-and-Denial Cycle

Unlike some insurer-built AI tools now under fire for auto-denying care, EasyPA technology is designed to support — not override — physician judgment with a cloud-based platform that includes:

AI-generated PA forms aligned to payer documentation policies.
Real-time clinical validation and policy matching.
One-click appeal creation based on payer-specific criteria.
HIPAA-secure, FHIR-ready, plug-and-play design with no IT dependency.

"We're not here to automate denials," CTO Alex Vega said. "We're here to automate transparency, speed, and fairness."

Administrative bloat from processing PAs costs the U.S. healthcare system billions each year. Doctors, practitioners, and medical practice offices are forced to hire staff just to chase approvals, creating costly inefficiencies that delay care. EasyPA co-founders believe that delays shouldn't be the default.

"This platform gives time back to providers and puts the patient back in focus, where they should be," Dr. Ballester said.

About EasyPA

EasyPA was founded by three visionaries — a pediatric hospitalist, a utilization management director, and an AI engineer — who were tired of watching patients suffer because of bureaucratic red tape of an outdated, manual PA process.

So, they built the fix.

EasyPA is the first AI-powered platform designed by physicians to eliminate prior authorization bottlenecks — automating approvals, accelerating appeals, and cutting time-to-treatment by more than ten times. HIPAA-secure and CMS compliant out of the box, EasyPA is built on modern infrastructure, ready for FHIR, and seamlessly integrates into provider workflows — no IT department required. EasyPA puts control back in the hands of providers and brings compassion and clarity to the most broken part of healthcare.

Fix the system. Keep the care. That's EasyPA.

EasyPA Unleashes Physician-Built AI to Solve $500B Healthcare Bottleneck Ahead of 2026 CMS Deadline

EasyPA, a healthcare startup founded by physicians and AI experts, has launched a fully operational prior authorization (PA) platform designed to meet CMS standards two years ahead of the 2026 regulatory deadline. The platform addresses patient harm, physician burnout, and administrative waste by offering real-time, AI-powered approvals with built-in compliance and FHIR interoperability. Co-founded by Dr. Paola Ballester, Alex Vega, and Dr. Ralph Martello, the company's solution is designed by doctors for doctors and integrates seamlessly into clinical workflows without requiring IT infrastructure. The platform aims to reduce time-to-treatment by over ten times, eliminate delays in care, and support physician judgment rather than auto-denying care.