Docs' trust in payers holds steady, but patient data access gaps persist

The trust providers place in their payer partners is holding steady, with new Aetna data showing improvements in provider experiences with prior authorizations.

The Q3 Aetna Provider Survey asked 727 U.S. providers about their perceptions of the payer industry, revealing that payer-provider relationships are holding steady with some bright spots.

However, the report also indicated shortcomings in real-time patient data access, limiting providers' ability to get a full picture of the individuals they treat.

Aetna launched its provider trust survey at the start of 2026 in partnership with Morning Consult to flag where payers can improve their relationships with providers. The survey measures provider trust in payers on a 10-point scale and identifies providers' biggest pain points.

The Q3 edition of the survey shows consistent provider trust, with respondents giving a 6.0 trust score on the 10-point scale. This is in line with the 6.1 trust score given in Q2  and an improvement over the 5.4 score documented in Q1.

Half of provider respondents agreed payers make decisions that prioritize patient well-being, which is two percentage points higher than in Q2 and six percentage points higher than in Q1, the report added.

Another half (52%) of providers agreed that payers reliably deliver on their promises, while 56% said payers provide clear, understandable information. Both figures are consistent with the trust scores from Q2.

"Building trust remains our priority, and I am pleased to see the payer-provider trust scores remain strong," Steven Nelson, executive vice president of CVS Health and president of Aetna, said in a press release. "Deepening our provider relationships helps us partner closely to improve access to affordable care and makes it easier for members to navigate the health care system."

But more work lies ahead.

According to the survey, healthcare providers need more from payers regarding real-time patient information. Payers host a treasure trove of patient information in their claims data, which could be useful to healthcare providers coordinating care across encounters.

Nearly a third of providers said enabling real-time access to patient information was the biggest thing a payer could do to address their current challenges.

Much of payers' improvement in trust scores is linked to their work reducing administrative burden for providers, the survey indicated. As it stands now, about two-thirds of providers say administrative burden is their top challenge, down seven percentage points from the Q2 survey.

Similarly, providers no longer rank administrative burden as their top anticipated challenge five years from now. Instead, they rank having enough time with patients as their top long-term challenge.

Payers are particularly delivering on provider needs in terms of better prior authorization processes, the survey revealed. Among providers who cite administrative burden as a top challenge, 27% named prior authorization as their biggest administrative challenge. That's a decrease from 31% in Q2.

Among providers who expect payers to simplify prior authorization, 50% cited automation and industry-wide commitments to accelerate turnaround times as factors that will increase providers' confidence. That's up from around 40% in Q2.

"We have more work ahead of us but I am encouraged to see providers are recognizing Aetna's investments to reduce friction and improve transparency," Nelson said.

The Q3 edition of the provider trust survey also revealed that 94% of provider respondents agree fraud, waste and abuse are problems. Providers say that rooting out fraud, waste and abuse will be key to cutting costs, with 57% estimating that it yields between $100 billion and $499 billion annually.

Providers said AI could play a role in fraud detection, with 90% believing payers are already using it for this purpose. A similar proportion said they think payers can realistically reduce fraud by about half each year.

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