A medical assistant has acquired a preauthorization for a patient's referral to a specialist. Which of the following is a reason for the insurer to deny the claim submitted by the specialist?

The correct answer involves the scenario where the specialist provided services after the expiration date of the preauthorization. In healthcare, preauthorization is a process where a provider must obtain approval from the insurance company before a service or treatment is performed to ensure that the procedure will be covered under the patient's insurance plan. If the specialist renders services after the expiration date of the preauthorization, the insurer may deny the claim because the approval is no longer valid.

It's important for both the patient and the medical staff to keep track of the preauthorization dates. Each preauthorization has a specific period during which the services must be rendered for the insurance to be valid. If services are performed outside this timeframe, even if they were authorized previously, they are not considered covered by the insurer.

The other reasons for potential claim denial could exist in their own contexts but do not directly relate to the preauthorization aspect as strongly. For instance, a missed appointment might not necessarily relate to the validity of preauthorization; being out of network could affect coverage but may not directly result in denial due to preauthorization itself; and an insurance plan that does not cover specialist visits would indicate a lack of coverage from the outset, rather than a failure of preauthorization.