Utilization review is a process designed to ensure that medical care is effective, efficient, and in line with evidence-based standards of care. Utilization review specialists are often nurses. They work for health insurance companies, hospitals, and various other medical providers. Utilization review teams at hospitals tend to work in tandem with their counterparts at health insurance companies to coordinate care. This helps to expedite prior authorization from health plans and ensure that patients' claims are covered. If you're worried that utilization review might be compromising your access to certain types of care, contact the team that's reviewing your case to discuss it with them. In most cases, you can appeal a decision that your health plan makes regarding the care they'll authorize