When DOCS Dermatology, a leading dermatology network spanning five states, began exploring ways to improve patient access and reduce administrative burden, one challenge stood out: the time and effort required to complete prior authorizations.

Like many specialty practices, DOCS providers wanted to help patients start therapy faster. But with hundreds of biologic and non-biologic prescriptions being written each week, manual paperwork, faxing, and follow-up calls had become major bottlenecks.

To streamline the process, DOCS partnered with Tandem, an AI-powered platform that automates prior authorizations, appeals, enrollment forms, and pharmacy routing directly from the EHR.

The Challenge: Manual Workflows Slowed Patient Access

Before Tandem, each provider’s team was spending hours each week submitting and tracking prior authorizations across multiple payers and pharmacies. The manual nature of the process caused:

• Delays in therapy starts for patients waiting on approvals

• Inconsistent communication between providers, payers, and pharmacies

• Limited visibility into where each request stood in the workflow

With over 190 clinicians across 85 locations in the Midwest, DOCS Dermatology needed a scalable, automated solution that could bring consistency to prior authorization management – without adding new administrative headcount.

The Solution: Automating Prior Authorizations with Tandem

DOCS Dermatology began its Tandem rollout with a single pilot provider. Within months, the results were clear.

Tandem’s automation enabled same-day prior authorization submissions, intelligent tracking, and automatic population of payer-specific forms – eliminating manual re-entry and phone tag.

Following the success of the pilot, DOCS expanded Tandem across five states – Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Illinois, and North Carolina – and now supports more than 240 providers through the platform.

The Results

After implementing Tandem, DOCS Dermatology saw significant improvements in both patient outcomes and staff efficiency:

• Same-day prior authorization submission

• <1 day average time to receive approval

• 80% increase in patients accessing their medications

Providers across the network report faster approvals, fewer delays between prescription and delivery, and a dramatically reduced administrative burden for medical assistants and coordinators.

Voices from the Field

“Tandem has allowed me to have more oversight over the PA process, while simultaneously cutting down on my time/hours worked. It has improved delay in care between Rx being written & delivery to patient.”

— PA, Ohio

“They really are on the ball, and the follow through is impressively fast, thorough, and accurate.”

— MD, North Carolina

“What truly sets Tandem apart is their dedication to listening—actively incorporating feedback from users and healthcare providers to drive continuous improvement.”

— Operations Project Manager, DOCS Dermatology

A Scalable Model for Specialty Practices

Today, DOCS Dermatology’s experience serves as a model for other specialty networks looking to improve patient access. By automating the most time-consuming parts of medication management, Tandem allows providers to focus on what matters most: delivering great care.

Supporting Your Practice

If your dermatology or specialty practice is ready to streamline prior authorizations and accelerate access to therapy, sign up your practice for Tandem today or book a demo to learn more.