Authenticator App for Availity 2-Step: Authenticator App Setup & Recovery

Availity is changing how users verify their identity.

For Availity Essentials users, traditional SMS and voice verification are being phased out in favor of authenticator apps and hardware security tokens.

That means healthcare professionals who rely on Availity for payer information, claims, eligibility, authorizations, and other administrative workflows should make sure their authentication method is ready before they need access.

The good news: Availity officially supports authenticator apps for 2-step authentication.

What Changed With Availity MFA?

Availity previously allowed several verification methods, including:

• SMS codes
• Voice calls
• Mobile authenticator apps
• Hardware tokens

That model is changing.

Beginning June 14, 2025, new Availity MFA enrollments can no longer select SMS or voice as their authentication method. Availity is gradually moving users toward stronger authentication methods such as authenticator apps and security tokens.

Availity now refers to the process as 2-step authentication.

Existing users may still temporarily see older methods during the transition, but SMS and voice are being removed in phases.

Why Is Availity Moving Away From SMS?

Availity says SMS and voice-based verification are increasingly vulnerable to attacks such as:

• SIM swapping
• Phishing
• Message interception

Authenticator apps generate codes locally instead of sending them over a mobile network.

That means they can also work when:

• Your phone has weak reception
• You are traveling
• SMS delivery is delayed
• Your mobile number changes

Availity says its transition is intended to align with stronger authentication practices used across regulated industries.

How Availity 2-Step Authentication Works

Once enrolled, your login may look like:

Availity username + password → 6-digit authenticator code → Availity Essentials

Availity does not necessarily request the additional code on every action.

For example, it may require verification when you sign in from a new device or in another situation where Availity wants to confirm your identity.

The authenticator generates a new six-digit code that Availity can validate.

How to Set Up an Authenticator App for Availity

After creating your Availity account and signing in, Availity Essentials can prompt you to enroll in 2-step authentication.

Choose:

Use an authenticator app

Then:

1. Open your authenticator app.
2. Choose to add a new account.
3. Scan the QR code displayed by Availity.
4. If scanning is unavailable, enter the secret key provided by Availity.
5. Wait for your authenticator to generate a six-digit code.
6. Return to Availity.
7. Enter the code in the Code from authenticator app field.
8. Select Continue.
9. Save the backup codes Availity provides.

Once the code is accepted, the authenticator is linked to your Availity account.

Using Authenticator ℠ App With Availity

Authenticator ℠ App can be used when Availity provides a compatible QR code or secret key during enrollment.

The correct setup order is:

Availity → Start 2-step setup → Display QR code → Scan with Authenticator ℠ App → Enter generated code

Do not manually create an Availity entry without using the setup information generated by Availity.

The QR code or secret key establishes the shared authentication secret needed to create codes that Availity can recognize.

QR Code Not Scanning?

Availity also provides a secret key during authenticator enrollment.

If your phone camera cannot read the QR code:

1. Choose the authenticator’s manual-entry option.
2. Copy the secret key exactly as Availity displays it.
3. Save the account.
4. Enter the resulting six-digit code back into Availity.

This is also the setup method Availity documents for compatible hard-token authenticators.

What Are Availity Backup Codes?

Backup codes are one of the most important parts of the setup process.

After authenticator enrollment, Availity provides backup codes that can be used if your normal authentication method becomes unavailable.

For example, backup codes can help if:

• Your phone is lost
• Your authenticator app is unavailable
• Your device breaks
• You temporarily cannot access the registered authentication method

Keep them somewhere separate from the device running your authenticator.

A backup code stored only on the same lost phone is not much of a backup.

Lost Your Phone?

Do not immediately assume you are permanently locked out.

Availity explicitly provides backup-code functionality for situations where you cannot access your normal 2-step authentication method.

At login, use an available backup option if presented.

After you regain access, update your authentication setup so future codes can be generated from a device you control.

Availity also allows users to enroll more than one authentication method in some configurations, which can reduce the risk of a single lost device causing an account-access problem.

Availity Code Not Working

If a six-digit authenticator code is rejected, check the simple causes first.

Wait for a fresh code

Authenticator codes are time-sensitive.

If the number is close to expiring, wait for the next code and enter it immediately.

Make sure you selected the right account

Healthcare staff may manage many work accounts in one authenticator.

Confirm that you selected the entry associated with Availity.

Check your device time

Time-based authenticator codes depend on an accurate clock.

Enable automatic date and time on the phone or computer running the authenticator.

Do not use an old SMS code

During Availity’s transition, some users may be familiar with older SMS or voice verification.

An old text-message code is not the same thing as the current code generated by your authenticator.

Why Availity Authentication Is Different From a Normal Consumer Account

Availity Essentials is used in healthcare workflows.

That means the account can provide access to administrative and patient-related information used between providers and health plans.

Availity itself explains that healthcare is one of the regulated industries increasingly relying on stronger authentication to protect sensitive information.

This makes account sharing particularly problematic.

Availity has explicitly stated that users should have their own individual account and should not share login credentials with coworkers.

A better practice is:

One staff member → One Availity user account → One individual authentication setup

rather than several people using one shared login.

Does Everyone in a Medical Office Need 2-Step Authentication?

For Availity Essentials, yes.

Availity says every Availity Essentials user is required to enroll in 2-step authentication.

Each user should therefore complete their own authentication setup.

This is especially important in offices where several staff members perform tasks such as:

• Eligibility checks
• Claim-related work
• Prior authorization workflows
• Payer administration
• Provider account management

Do not simply attach one employee’s authenticator to a shared account.