Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy recently convened an in-person roundtable discussion on reforming prior authorization in federally-sponsored healthcare programs, at which providers pressed CMS to finalize the reforms to alleviate administrative burdens.
The Biden administration has said it’s looking to remedy documented abuses in the prior authorization program and ensure patients’ timely access to medically necessary care.
Many of the provider attendees belonged to the Alliance of Specialty Medicine, and they echoed the call for the federal government to codify and finalize the prior authorization reforms.
“Prior authorization is a barrier to care that profoundly harms patients,” said Dr. Eugene Y. Rhee, public policy chair of the American Urological Association, by statement. “The AUA applauds CMS for the opportunity to participate in today’s dialogue about how we can remove this barrier so that patients can get the care they need when they need it. Ongoing communication is key to ensuring CMS understands and addresses the challenges physicians and their patients face every day.” Read more.
