The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act Reintroduced in House

Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act Reintroduced in House

June 7, 2021 • By From the College

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives to protect patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans from prior authorization requirements that needlessly delay or deny access to medically necessary care.

You Might Also Like
  • ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care
  • Affordable Care Act Latest in Half-Century of Healthcare Reform
  • Protect Your Patients’ Access to Care & Treatment
Also By This Author
  • The ACR Pre-Meeting Research Conferences to Explore Immunity, Precision Medicine in Rheumatic Diseases

Prior authorization was intended to control costs by reducing unnecessary tests and procedures, but many health plans now indiscriminately use the process to create nonproductive hurdles for patients and physicians that lead to delays in treatment that may endanger patients’ health. The process for obtaining the required approval can be lengthy and typically requires a physician or member of the care team staff to spend many hours each week negotiating with insurance companies—time that should be spent taking care of patients.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In a recent national survey, 87% of physicians reported that prior authorization has had a significant negative (40%) or somewhat negative (47%) impact on their patients’ clinical outcomes. Nearly a third of physicians surveyed said their patients often abandon treatment due to prior authorization. Furthermore, 84% of survey respondents said the regulatory burdens associated with prior authorization have significantly increased over the past five years, with half of all practices reporting 11 or more requests per week.

The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3173) will require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to regulate the use of prior authorization by Medicare Advantage plans and establish a process to make real-time decisions for services that are routinely approved. Further, the plans would be required to offer a process for electronic prior authorization and to report to CMS how extensively they use prior authorization and how often they approve or deny the relevant medications and services.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) and Ami Bera (D-Calif.) led this important legislation and have been joined by over 100 additional members of Congress to reduce the hurdles between patients and the care they need. Ask your Congressperson to co-sponsor and support H.R. 3173 on behalf of you and your patients today.

Filed Under: Legislation & Advocacy Tagged With: Advocacy, Legislation, prior authorization

You Might Also Like:
  • ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care
  • Affordable Care Act Latest in Half-Century of Healthcare Reform
  • Protect Your Patients’ Access to Care & Treatment
  • Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015: What You Should Know

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.