By Sarah Martinez · Published October 31, 2026 · 10 min read
Quick Answer: There is no single UnitedHealthcare fax number. UHC wants most prior authorizations, reconsiderations and appeals in its Provider Portal; its prior authorization fax, 855-352-1206, is open only to commercial plans in Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Medicare Advantage appeals, Community Plan requests and Optum Rx pharmacy paperwork each have their own lines, listed below. A practice that faxes UHC every week can do it from its own number, with a signed BAA, on mFax Business.
Search for a UnitedHealthcare fax number and you'll find dozens of them, most copied from old PDFs, state manuals and directory sites. Many of those numbers belong to one state's Community Plan, an outdated form or a plan you don't have. UHC has also moved most provider requests online: its own prior authorization page offers the fax line to just four states' commercial plans.
Below are the main UnitedHealthcare and Optum Rx fax numbers, confirmed on UHC's own pages, each checked on November 13, 2026, with the page it comes from. You'll also find what UHC doesn't take by fax, what goes on the cover sheet, and how to fax patient records to UHC with a business associate agreement in place.
UnitedHealthcare Fax Numbers at a Glance
The right UnitedHealthcare fax number depends on three things: the plan (commercial, Medicare Advantage or Community Plan), the state, and the request. Find your row, then read its section for the conditions that come with it.
| What you're sending | Fax number | Scope | Source (checked on 2026-11-13) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prior authorization and notification request | 855-352-1206 | Commercial plans in MA, NV, NM and TX only | UHC prior authorization page |
| Prescription paperwork, non-specialty drugs | 800-527-0531 | Labeled "OptumRx fax (non-specialty medications)" | UHCprovider.com contact page |
| Prescription paperwork, specialty drugs | 800-853-3844 | Labeled "OptumRx fax (specialty medications)" | UHCprovider.com contact page |
| Medicare Advantage appeals and grievances, urgent | 866-373-1081 | Listed in the Colorado block | UHCprovider.com contact page |
| Medicare Advantage appeals and grievances, standard | 888-517-7113 | Listed in the Colorado block | UHCprovider.com contact page |
| Community Plan and D-SNP prior authorization | 800-267-8328 | Listed in the Hawaii block | UHCprovider.com contact page |
| Behavioral health prior authorization | 877-840-5581 | Listed in the Hawaii block | UHCprovider.com contact page |
| Pharmacy prior authorization | 866-940-7328 | Listed in the Hawaii block | UHCprovider.com contact page |
| Part D appeals and grievances, standard | 1-866-308-6294 | UHC Dual Complete plans in Pennsylvania | UHC Pennsylvania appeals page |
| Part D appeals and grievances, expedited | 1-866-308-6296 | UHC Dual Complete plans in Pennsylvania | UHC Pennsylvania appeals page |
| Part D coverage determination or exception (Optum Rx) | 1-844-403-1028 | UHC Dual Complete plans in Pennsylvania | UHC Pennsylvania appeals page |
The rows marked "Colorado block" and "Hawaii block" sit under those states' headings on UHC's contact page. The page doesn't say whether they serve other states, so treat them as numbers for those plans until a UHC letter, form or the member's Evidence of Coverage tells you otherwise.
Your letter beats this table
If UnitedHealthcare sent you a denial letter, a records request or an explanation of benefits, use the fax number or address printed on it. UHC's Medicare appeal page sends members to their plan's Evidence of Coverage for the fax and mailing address, and its claim reconsideration form says to mail to the address on the provider remittance advice. The member's ID card shows which plan applies.
Does UnitedHealthcare Take Prior Authorization by Fax?
Mostly no. UnitedHealthcare's prior authorization and notification page lists four ways in, and fax is the narrowest:
- The UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal. UHC says its digital tools "allow you to seamlessly submit your requests in real time", with status tracking and 24/7 chat in the portal.
- EDI. UHC's electronic data interchange, including the 278 transaction, automates prior authorization and notification tasks.
- An API, for practices and vendors that connect their own systems to UHC's.
- Phone. "If you're unable to use the provider portal, call 877-842-3210 to submit a request."
The fax line comes last, with a condition: "You can submit requests by fax to 855-352-1206. Please note: This option is only available for the following commercial plans: Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas." For a commercial member anywhere else, a faxed request isn't one of UHC's listed options. Use the portal or the phone line.
Community Plan (Medicaid) and D-SNP prior authorization
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan runs state by state, and so do its fax lines. On UHC's contact page, the Hawaii block lists a Community Plan and D-SNP prior authorization fax (800-267-8328), a behavioral health prior authorization fax (877-840-5581) and a pharmacy prior authorization fax (866-940-7328, phone 800-310-6826). Hawaii's Medicare Advantage and Community Plan Provider Services line is 888-980-8728.
For another state, start from UHC's health plans by state page, open the state's Community Plan, and take the fax from that plan's own prior authorization form. A number from another state's form will either bounce or land with a team that can't act on it.
Medical records for a prior authorization
UHC asks for clinical records through the request itself. On the portal, you attach them to the case. If UHC sends a records request by letter or fax, send the records to the number printed on that request, with its reference number on the cover sheet. A generic "UHC fax" from a directory site isn't tied to your case.
UnitedHealthcare Pharmacy and Optum Rx Fax Numbers
For drugs under the pharmacy benefit, UnitedHealthcare sends prescribers to Optum Rx, so drug paperwork goes there rather than to a medical prior authorization line. UHC's contact page lists three pharmacy numbers:
| Optum Rx line | Number | Label on UHC's page |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 800-711-4555 | UnitedHealthcare commercial and UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans |
| Fax, non-specialty medications | 800-527-0531 | OptumRx fax (non-specialty medications) |
| Fax, specialty medications | 800-853-3844 | OptumRx fax (specialty medications) |
UHC's specialty drug page also names 1-800-711-4555 as the number for the "OptumRx Prior Authorization department". Before you fax, check the drug's prior authorization form: if it prints a fax number, that is the one Optum Rx expects for that form.
The electronic routes are usually quicker:
- PreCheck MyScript, in the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal, lets prescribers "request prior authorization and receive status and results", according to UHC's clinical and specialty pharmacy page.
- CoverMyMeds or Surescripts. UHC's Community Plan pharmacy page tells prescribers to submit an ePA through either one, and to use the state's paper form only if they can't.
- Drugs under the medical benefit have their own UHC prior authorization forms, listed on the same clinical and specialty pharmacy page.
If a member's plan uses a different pharmacy benefit manager, the ID card says so. Our guides to the CVS Caremark fax number and the Express Scripts fax number cover the two other big ones.
UnitedHealthcare Appeal Fax Numbers
Whether a UnitedHealthcare appeal can go by fax depends on who is appealing and on the plan. Providers on commercial plans appeal online. Medicare Advantage plans publish appeal and grievance fax lines.
For providers: reconsiderations, appeals and peer-to-peer
UHC's appeals page lists no fax number. It sends every step through the portal:
- Claim reconsideration and post-service appeal. "You can use either the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal or an API to submit a reconsideration." The same goes for post-service appeals. UHC gives you 12 months to complete the steps, but your participation agreement can set other timelines.
- Pre-service appeal, made before the planned service, submitted digitally in the portal.
- Peer-to-peer review, requested on UHC's scheduling form: inpatient cases within 3 business days, outpatient cases within 21 calendar days of the posted denial.
When the portal isn't an option, UHC's claim reconsideration form (PCA-1-25-00612, dated 03/31/2025) is the paper route, and it goes by mail, not fax: "After completing the entire form, please mail to UnitedHealthcare using the address listed on the PRA." Send one form per claim, attach a copy of the PRA or EOB, and don't use the form for new claims or formal appeals.
In the portal, the form gives the path: Claims & Payments › Look up a Claim, open the claim, then Act on a Claim › Explore available actions › Create a reconsideration, attach your documents and submit.
For Medicare Advantage appeals and grievances
UHC's contact page lists Medicare Advantage appeals and grievances fax lines in its Colorado section:
| Medicare Advantage request | Fax | |
|---|---|---|
| Appeal or grievance, urgent | 866-373-1081 | P.O. Box 6111, MS CA 124-0157, Cypress, CA 90630-0016 |
| Appeal or grievance, standard | 888-517-7113 | same |
The same 1-866-373-1081 appears as the "A&G Expedited Fax / Part C" on UHC's Pennsylvania Dual Complete page, but neither page says the lines are national. A member's own fax number for appeals is in the plan's Evidence of Coverage. UHC's Medicare appeal page sends members there rather than printing one.
That page also gives the clock UHC works to on an appeal:
| Medicare appeal | UHC decides within |
|---|---|
| Standard Part C, before or about a service | 30 calendar days |
| Expedited Part C | 72 hours |
| Standard Part B drug | 7 calendar days |
| Expedited Part B drug | 72 hours |
| Reimbursement request | 60 calendar days |
For forms that go to Medicare itself rather than to UHC, see our Medicare fax number guide.
For dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans
Dual Complete plans publish their own numbers state by state. UHC's Pennsylvania appeals page, for three Pennsylvania Dual Complete plans, lists:
- Part D appeals and grievances: standard fax 1-866-308-6294, expedited fax 1-866-308-6296.
- Part C expedited appeals: 1-866-373-1081.
- Part D coverage determinations and exceptions (the Optum Rx Prior Authorization Department): 1-844-403-1028. A doctor requesting an exception can fax it there.
Members of a Dual Complete plan in another state should take the numbers from that state's appeals page or from their Evidence of Coverage.
Is There a UnitedHealthcare Claims Fax Number?
No. UnitedHealthcare takes claims electronically or by mail, not by fax. UHC's contact page lists EDI payer IDs and mailing addresses for paper claims, and both vary by plan and state. The paper claim reconsideration form is mailed to the address on the provider remittance advice.
Two kinds of claim paperwork do travel by fax:
- Records UHC asks for before paying a claim. Send them the way the request says: attached in the portal, or to the fax number printed on UHC's letter.
- Prescription paperwork for Optum Rx, on the fax line its form names.
Members filing a claim themselves should follow their plan documents or member account. It's the same pattern as other national insurers: our Aetna fax number guide shows Aetna also routes medical claims through a portal.
How to Fax Documents to UnitedHealthcare
A fax to UnitedHealthcare gets acted on when it goes to the line for your plan and request, carries UHC's identifiers on the cover sheet, and comes back with proof of delivery. Here's the sequence in mFax, on the web or in the iPhone, Android and Windows apps:
Confirm that the request can go by fax
Check the table above. If your plan and request type aren't on it, or UHC lists the portal as the only route, a fax won't get you there. If UHC's letter prints a fax number, use that one. Enter it with the country code, for example +1 855 352 1206.
Put UHC's identifiers on the cover sheet
List the member's name, ID number and date of birth, the case, reference or claim number, your NPI and TIN, and a callback fax number. Add a cover sheet in mFax and tick Confidential to print a HIPAA confidentiality notice. Our medical fax cover sheet guide covers the rest of the cover sheet.
Send one complete packet
Attach the form and every record the request asked for. mFax converts Word files, photos and PDFs into fax pages and shows the page count before you send. One fax holds up to 60 pages and 100 MB.
Keep the receipt with the case
The fax shows In progress while the pages go through, about 40 seconds a page. It changes to Delivered once UHC's machine confirms every page. Download receipt gives you a PDF to file with the case number.
A delivered fax proves the pages arrived, not that a reviewer has read them. If nothing comes back, check the case in the portal or call Provider Services at 877-842-3210 with the receipt and page count in hand. For portal problems, UHC's support line is 866-842-3278, option 1.
Faxing PHI to UnitedHealthcare: What HIPAA Requires
HIPAA lets a practice fax patient records to a health plan. What it adds is a business associate agreement with the service that carries the fax. HHS's page on covered entities and business associates lays out who the rules bind, and a fax service that handles a practice's PHI is one of those business associates.
The cover sheet is where most PHI leaks start. It sits on top of the receiving tray, so keep diagnoses and record contents off it: identifiers and a case number are enough for UHC to route the fax. Our guide to faxing PHI securely covers the rest of the routine.
mFax Business covers the business associate part:
- A BAA on every plan, at no extra cost. The workspace owner opens Settings, chooses Review & sign on the Business Associate Agreement row, both sides sign electronically, and the row shows Signed with the date.
- The answers a privacy officer asks for: PHI stored and processed in the US, a confirmed-or-failed status on every fax, and every teammate signing in with their own login.
- A fax number for UHC's replies. UHC's reconsideration form asks for a contact fax number. Faxes to your practice's line show up in the app as Received, saved as PDFs.
- Fax from email, too. Staff can address a message to the fax number at
send.mfax.to. For the commercial prior authorization line, that's18553521206@send.mfax.to. Attach the PDF. The address they sign in with is already authorized. The subject and body become the cover sheet, so keep patient details in the attachment.
Plans start from about $9/mo, and you build your own from the seats and pages you need. For the wider rules, see our guide to HIPAA-compliant fax.
Faxing your own appeal as a member? HIPAA's rules bind plans, providers and their business associates, not a patient sending their own records. Just need to send one fax? Open the mFax app, upload the PDF and send it in under 2 minutes, free for 7 days.
When a Fax to UnitedHealthcare Doesn't Go Through
When a fax to UnitedHealthcare fails, mFax shows the reason on the fax. Most failures happen on the receiving side, and a second attempt goes through:
- Recipient busy, No answer. The line was in use or didn't pick up. Busy lines are retried automatically. Otherwise, wait a few minutes and press Resend.
- No fax tone, Declined. The number answered, but no fax machine did. You probably have a phone number, such as Provider Services, instead of a fax line. Check it against the table.
- Invalid number, Number not in service. Re-check the digits and the +1. Old UHC numbers copied from directory sites are a common cause.
- File too large. The packet is over 60 pages or 100 MB. Split it into two faxes and mark the cover sheets "1 of 2" and "2 of 2".
Fax UnitedHealthcare from Your Practice's Own Number
mFax Business gives your practice its own fax number for UHC's replies, HIPAA-compliant faxing with a signed BAA, and a delivery receipt for every packet, on web, mobile and desktop. Build your own plan from about $9/mo and cancel anytime.