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Aetna: Docs trust payers more even as administrative burden persists

Although providers are trusting payers more, there's an opportunity for health IT to ameliorate administrative burdens, including prior authorizations.

Sara Heath
By
Published: 21 Jul 2026

A new report from Aetna shows an upswing in payer-provider relations, with more providers saying they trust the payers they're contracted with. Still, the report exposes serious challenges related to administrative burdens such as prior authorizations, re-entering patient information and claims submission.

Payer-provider relationships have historically been prickly. The two don't always collaborate well, with limited health IT interoperability and competing priorities getting in the way of true collaboration. But both payers and providers agree that a positive, trusting and collaborative relationship between them is integral to better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

This latest survey, issued on a quarterly basis, shows that payers and providers are on the right track, as more providers agree that payers are acting in good faith.

Overall trust scores are on an upward trajectory. In this second-quarter edition of the "Aetna Provider Survey," providers rated payers at 6.1 on the 10-point trust scale, compared with 5.4 in Q1.

Meanwhile, more providers agree that their payer partners are reliable, with 52% saying payers consistently deliver on their promises (up 16 percentage points from Q1). Another 56% said payers offer clear coverage information (up 12 percentage points from Q1) and 44% said payers aid in patient navigation (up 6 percentage points from Q1).

"Trust is a foundational element of health care today. To truly transform the system, we need to continue to deepen the provider-payer relationship," Steve Nelson, executive vice president and president of Aetna, said in a press release.

Addressing technology problems could help further improve payer-provider relations, the survey suggested. These issues are making it hard for payers and providers to reduce administrative burdens and exchange patient or member data. These represent key areas for health IT investment, Aetna suggested.

Administrative burden still high, but IT could help

Healthcare providers are still stymied by significant administrative burden, with 84% of respondents saying managing patient records and prior authorizations are their biggest pain points.

But health IT could offer a solution, respondents added. For example, 58% of respondents agreed that health IT could help ameliorate issues with submitting prior authorization requests. Another 42% said the same of re-entering patient information, and 41% about submitting claims.

In fact, providers are optimistic about the potential of health IT, with a sizeable 30% saying they think it could save them more than an hour each day on administrative tasks, leaving more time to spend with patients. Another 80% said health IT could save them more than 30 minutes daily.

Interoperability still challenging

Nearly a third of provider respondents said that more real-time patient data is the single most important thing payers can do to support clinical teams. Still, that remains a challenge, the survey showed, as more than two-thirds (68%) of respondents said interoperability and data integrity are their biggest technology challenges.

This is a key opportunity for improvement, the survey indicated, as 47% of providers assert that access to real-time patient data could save them more than 10 minutes per appointment.

Another 63% agreed that better patient data access could support treatment decisions, while 54% said real-time data would reduce claim denials and resubmissions and 47% said it could reduce patient wait times for treatment approvals.

Providers see promise in member engagement tools

Despite data and IT challenges, providers said payers are making important advances in member engagement, particularly in how payers use health IT to expand member access to care.

Nearly three-quarters of provider respondents (71%) agreed that payers' digital engagement tools help patients understand their benefits and care options, while a similar proportion (72%) said IT helps members understand claims status. Meanwhile, 68% of respondents said digital engagement tools help members understand their prior authorization status.

Digital member engagement will be a key investment area moving forward, providers signaled. A notable 84% said advances in technology will drive better health outcomes, while 72% said they anticipate health IT to improve population health and patient experience.

Sara Heath is an executive editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, where she covers patient engagement, healthcare policy and health IT.

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