Allergy and immunology practices have an administrative profile unlike any other specialty: they manage patients who visit the office one to three times per week for immunotherapy injections across a three-to-five-year course of treatment. Multiply the injection volume by the diagnostic workup required for new patients — allergy skin testing, pulmonary function testing, food challenge protocols — and add prior authorization for biologics such as dupilumab, omalizumab, and mepolizumab, and the result is a practice that generates enormous administrative activity per patient. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's 2025 Practice Operations Survey, allergy practices spend an average of 11.9 staff hours per week per physician on immunotherapy schedule management and biologic prior authorization — work that consumes administrative bandwidth that could otherwise support new patient access. Virtual assistants are helping allergy practices manage this volume without adding in-office headcount.
Allergy Testing Scheduling and Pre-Visit Coordination
New patient workups in allergy and immunology often require 60-to-90-minute allergy skin test appointments, separate pulmonary function testing for asthma evaluation, and food challenge visits that require nurse monitoring and emergency preparedness. Scheduling these appointments requires confirming medication holds (antihistamines must be discontinued days before testing), coordinating appropriate room and nursing resources, and sending pre-visit preparation instructions.
A virtual assistant for an allergy practice manages this scheduling workflow inside Epic, Athenahealth, or Modernizing Medicine: receiving new patient referrals, verifying insurance, scheduling the appropriate test battery, and dispatching medication hold instructions and pre-visit preparation materials through the patient portal or Klara. The ACAAI's 2025 survey found that practices with dedicated new patient scheduling coordinators — including remote VAs — reduced the average time from referral receipt to completed allergy workup by 9.3 days. Faster workup completion improves patient satisfaction and practice revenue cycle performance.
Immunotherapy Shot Schedule Coordination and Adherence Outreach
Allergen immunotherapy is a long-term treatment requiring precise dose escalation over months of buildup injections before the patient reaches maintenance dosing. Patients who miss appointments fall behind in their protocol and may require dose adjustments. Managing adherence across a panel of hundreds of active immunotherapy patients — each on an individualized injection schedule — is a significant administrative undertaking.
A virtual assistant manages immunotherapy adherence outreach: monitoring injection schedules inside the EMR, identifying patients who have missed appointments or are approaching dose expiration windows, sending recall reminders via patient portal or phone, and scheduling lapsed patients for protocol review appointments with the allergist. According to the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's 2024 Immunotherapy Adherence Report, allergy practices with structured adherence outreach programs achieved 24% higher immunotherapy completion rates — a meaningful outcome given that treatment efficacy depends on completing the full course.
Prior Authorization Tracking for Biologics
The allergy and immunology biologic pipeline has expanded significantly in recent years. Dupilumab for atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, and severe asthma; omalizumab for allergic asthma and chronic urticaria; mepolizumab, benralizumab, and tezepelumab for severe eosinophilic asthma — each requires detailed prior authorization with clinical documentation of disease severity, previous treatment failure, and IgE or eosinophil threshold documentation where applicable. Re-authorization is typically required annually.
A trained allergy virtual assistant manages the complete biologic authorization lifecycle inside Epic or Athenahealth: pulling lab values, clinical notes, and spirometry results; completing payer portal submissions; tracking approval timelines; and preparing appeal documentation when initial requests are denied. The ACAAI 2025 survey reported that allergy practices average 3.9 biologic prior auth submissions per physician per day — a volume that requires dedicated, systematic tracking to prevent treatment delays.
Patient Communication and Protocol Documentation
Allergy patients require clear ongoing communication about their immunotherapy schedules, reaction reporting protocols, and medication instructions. A VA manages this communication layer: sending maintenance schedule reminders, routing patient questions to the nurse, and ensuring that post-injection observation period compliance is documented in the EMR. This systematic communication supports patient safety and reduces the risk of lapsed immunotherapy protocols.
If your allergy and immunology practice needs better testing scheduling throughput, immunotherapy adherence outreach, and biologic prior auth management, hire a virtual assistant through Stealth Agents to manage these workflows remotely.
Sources
- American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2025 Practice Operations Survey. ACAAI.org, 2025.
- Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2024 Immunotherapy Adherence and Outcomes Report. JCAAI.org, 2024.
- American Medical Association. 2025 Prior Authorization Physician Survey. AMA-Assn.org, 2025.
- Medical Group Management Association. 2025 Specialty Practice Benchmark Report. MGMA.org, 2025.