What factors are contributing to the sudden 30% increase in reported errors for McKesson's CoverMyMeds prior authorization platform this month?

Introduction

The sudden 30% increase in reported errors for McKesson's CoverMyMeds prior authorization platform this month is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. As we analyze this product problem, we'll follow a systematic framework to identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both immediate and long-term implications.

Our approach will involve a thorough examination of the error increase, starting with clarifying questions to gather essential context. We'll then rule out basic external factors, understand the product and user journey, break down the metric, gather and prioritize data, form hypotheses, conduct root cause analysis, and finally propose validation methods and next steps.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking there might be a recent change in the system. Has there been any significant update or deployment to the CoverMyMeds platform in the past month?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with sudden metric shifts. Expected answer: Yes, there was a major update two weeks ago. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on changes introduced in that update.

• Considering the nature of prior authorization, I'm curious about the error distribution. Are these errors concentrated in specific steps of the authorization process or spread across all stages?

Why it matters: Helps pinpoint where in the user journey the issues are occurring. Expected answer: Errors are primarily in the submission stage. Impact on approach: We'd focus on the submission process and related components.

• Given the substantial increase, I'm wondering about user feedback. Have you noticed an uptick in customer support tickets or negative feedback related to these errors?

Why it matters: User feedback can provide qualitative context to quantitative data. Expected answer: Yes, there's been a 50% increase in related support tickets. Impact on approach: We'd analyze support ticket content for common themes.

• Considering potential external factors, has there been any change in regulatory requirements or payer policies that might affect the prior authorization process?

Why it matters: External policy changes could impact error rates if not properly accommodated. Expected answer: No significant regulatory changes recently. Impact on approach: We'd focus more on internal factors if external changes are ruled out.

• Thinking about system health, have there been any changes in infrastructure or third-party integrations that CoverMyMeds relies on?

Why it matters: Infrastructure or integration issues could cause widespread errors. Expected answer: A new integration was added last month. Impact on approach: We'd investigate the new integration and its impact on the system.