Do I need a phone for Availity’s authenticator app?

No. Availity names Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator as examples, but it only checks the six-digit code, and any standard authenticator produces it. The Authenticator extension generates the codes in Chrome on your computer and reads the QR code straight off the Availity screen.

Availity says to “enter the provided secret key into your time-based authentication device”. What do I do?

The extension is that device. Copy the secret key Availity shows next to the QR code, then in the extension choose “Add Account” → “Manual” → “Secret Key”, name the account “Availity” and paste the key. Then click “I’ve completed these steps” on Availity and type the six-digit code the extension shows.

I am in “Update Authentication” but there is no field for the code.

The field comes later. Click “Add another device” and choose the authenticator app to get the QR code; once it is added to the extension, click “I’ve completed these steps”, and the next screen asks for the code.

Will my text-message codes keep working?

Not after October 28, 2026 — from then on Availity Essentials accepts only an authenticator app (users who sign in through their organization’s single sign-on, and Essentials Pro users, are not affected). Add the authenticator now, while you can still sign in with a text code.

Availity Authenticator App — Set Up Availity Essentials 2-Step Authentication

Availity Essentials opens patient eligibility, claims and authorizations for your practice, which is why it asks for a second step at sign-in. Availity is retiring text-message and voice-call codes because they can be intercepted or redirected to another SIM. An authenticator app keeps working offline, and one in the browser on the computer you already use for Availity spares you a personal phone at the front desk.

Switch Availity to an authenticator app

Availity retires text and voice codes on October 28, 2026; until then it switches organizations over in phases, and your administrators get 30 days’ notice. New users are asked to set up an authenticator right after their first sign-in — then the setup starts on its own and you begin at step 4. If your organization signs you in to Availity through its own login (single sign-on), the codes belong to that system, not to Availity.

Sign in to Availity Essentials on your computer.
Open your account menu at the top of the page (it shows your name, as “[Your Name]’s Account”) and choose “My Account”.
Go to “Profile & Security” and click “Update Authentication”.
Click “Add another device”, choose “Use an authenticator app” and click “Continue”. Availity shows a QR code and a secret key.
Add it to the extension as described below, then click “I’ve completed these steps” — only now does Availity show the field for the code. Type the current six-digit code from the extension into it.

Availity’s own instructions

Add Availity to Authenticator

Install 2FA Authenticator from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to the toolbar, so its icon is one click away.
Leave the Availity page with the QR code open. Click the Authenticator icon, then “Add Account” → “QR Code” → “Scan QR from screen”.
The account appears in the list with a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds. Rename it if you like — the name is only for you.
Go back to Availity and type the current code into the confirmation field. If it is about to expire, wait for the next one.
Availity confirms that two-factor authentication is on. From now on it will ask for a code when you sign in — click the extension icon and copy it.

No QR code, or it will not scan? Look for the option to enter a key manually on Availity’s setup screen, copy the key, and add it in the extension with “Add Account” → “Manual” → “Secret Key”.

Get 2FA Authenticator for Chrome — free

Download your Availity backup codes

Availity offers backup codes for the day the device with your authenticator is not at hand: download the text file it gives you and keep it somewhere only you can reach, away from this computer. Each code signs you in once. If you have neither the authenticator nor a backup code, your organization’s Availity administrator or Availity Client Services (800-282-4548, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern) can reset your 2-step authentication.

The code is not accepted?

Almost always the computer’s clock. The codes are calculated from the current time, so a clock that is a minute off produces codes that look right and are refused. Turn on automatic date and time in your system settings — step-by-step for Windows, macOS and Linux.

If the clock is right, check the key itself: paste it into the TOTP code generator and compare the code with the one in the extension. If they differ, the key was copied wrong — add the account again.

Questions

Do I need a phone for Availity’s authenticator app?: No. Availity names Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator as examples, but it only checks the six-digit code, and any standard authenticator produces it. The Authenticator extension generates the codes in Chrome on your computer and reads the QR code straight off the Availity screen.
Availity says to “enter the provided secret key into your time-based authentication device”. What do I do?: The extension is that device. Copy the secret key Availity shows next to the QR code, then in the extension choose “Add Account” → “Manual” → “Secret Key”, name the account “Availity” and paste the key. Then click “I’ve completed these steps” on Availity and type the six-digit code the extension shows.
I am in “Update Authentication” but there is no field for the code.: The field comes later. Click “Add another device” and choose the authenticator app to get the QR code; once it is added to the extension, click “I’ve completed these steps”, and the next screen asks for the code.
Will my text-message codes keep working?: Not after October 28, 2026 — from then on Availity Essentials accepts only an authenticator app (users who sign in through their organization’s single sign-on, and Essentials Pro users, are not affected). Add the authenticator now, while you can still sign in with a text code.

Your codes, one click from the login page

Authenticator keeps your 2FA codes in the browser, on your device only — free to use, open source, no account and no phone needed. Local backups and optional password protection come built in.