Published 3/28/2026
The Office of Government Relations’ Regulatory Team led several specialty societies in sending a letter to address a deeply concerning United Healthcare (UHC) payment policy set to be implemented on April 1. The UHC policy will deny all claims reported with radiology codes appended with Modifier 26, Professional Component, and/or Modifier TC, Technical Component, and require the manual submission of a signed radiology report. Because radiology reports cannot be attached to a real-time electronic claim submission, this is a post-adjudication documentation process that would cause a tremendous administrative burden for physicians and their staff.
In the letter, AAOS highlights that while UHC’s policy on separately signed radiology reports aligns with existing CPT guidelines and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) policy, the requirement of manual submission of radiology reports with every claim would cause a tremendous and undue administrative burden. A study from the American Medical Association in 2024 found that medical practices spend an average of 12 hours each week completing prior authorizations. Additional administrative burdens, such as those imposed by UHC’s new submission policy, take critical time away from patient care.
The letter was sent in coordination with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Urological Association, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.