Some major health insurance providers in Massachusetts have agreed to waive prior authorizations on select hospital transfers after Gov. Maura Healey’s administration this week warned of “severe capacity challenges,” according to a document obtained by the Herald.

In a memorandum to top health officials dated Jan. 9, Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh also said hospitals in the state have agreed “to commence discharge planning and care coordination as early as practicable” for patients as they face record occupancy levels, “significant” workforce shortages, and the circulation of three different viruses.

“These issues exist across the system and require immediate, short-term action on all parts to release pressure in the system and support timely patient transitions to the most appropriate care setting,” Walsh wrote in the memorandum. “To that end, we have requested, and your respective membership organizations have expressed support for, the following temporary operational and practice flexibilities to mitigate the impacts of this significant surge.”

As part of the plan, Walsh said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Association of Health Plans members agreed to voluntarily waive prior authorization starting Jan. 9 through April 1 for admissions from acute care hospitals to sub-acute care and rehabilitation facilities “across commercial, Medicaid, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage lines of business.”

The waiver does not apply to long-term or custodial admissions and health plans can conduct “retrospective and concurrent” reviews during the time frame “to determine appropriateness of level of care,” the memorandum said.

“Acute care hospitals and post-acute care facilities will be expected to notify plans about any inpatient admission for which post-acute care is anticipated within 24 hours of admission and to provide updates, at a minimum of every five days, to support discharge planning,” Walsh wrote.

Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Sarah Iselin said local hospitals are experiencing severe capacity challenges along with high levels of respiratory illness and workforce shortages.

“By removing prior authorization requirements for admissions from acute care hospitals to sub-acute care facilities and rehabilitation facilities, we hope to help hospitals ensure as many people as possible get the care they need,” Iselin said in a statement to the Herald.

A spokesperson for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services said the administration implemented the measures to “ensure people are getting the care they need while reducing strain on the healthcare workforce.”

“We encourage everyone to get vaccinated against respiratory viruses like RSV, COVID and flu in order to reduce the severity of illness,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the Herald.

The measures outlined in the memorandum from Walsh were also put in place last winter and are often activated when there is an increase in respiratory illnesses impacting hospital capacity, according to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Thursday that the influenza severity level was “high,” COVID-19 emergency department visits were “moderate,” and COVID-19 hospital admissions were “medium.”

Just over 17% of emergency department visits during the last week were for acute respiratory disease, according to the Department of Public Health. Officials reported 19% of Massachusetts is vaccinated against COVID-19 and 38% against influenza as of Jan. 6.

COVID-19 wastewater levels have also spiked in the Boston-area.

Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association President and CEO Steve Walsh said the agreement to waive prior authorizations for some transfers was “voluntary.”

“The easing of prior authorization requirements can be an especially powerful tool for hospitals to keep patients moving along their care journey,” Walsh said in a statement.

Some patients in hospital beds are ready to be discharged to rehabilitation settings but health plans may require a “prior authorization” procedure before agreeing to cover the rehab stay. That authorization could delay a move for hours or days, according to the Healey administration.

Insurers’ agreement to suspend the prior authorization requirements allow patients to be discharged to rehab facilities more quickly, in turn freeing up inpatient beds for other people, according to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

But still, Walsh struck a dire note on staffing shortages.

“Hospitals must also seek innovative ways to improve their staffing plans with a goal to fully staff all licensed adult medical/surgical beds,” Walsh wrote in the memorandum.