Six healthcare groups agreed to take steps to make prior authorization processes more effective and efficient.
The agreement —outlined in a consensus statement from the American Hospital Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Medical Group Management Association — ultimately aims to streamline prior authorization, thereby reducing the administrative burden on providers and improving patients' access to timely care, according to the organizations.
As part of the agreement, the organizations said they would join forces to decrease the number of healthcare professionals required to comply with prior authorization rules "based on their performance, adherence to evidence-based medical practices, or participation in a value-based agreement with the health insurance provider," according to a news release. They also agreed to improve communication regarding prior authorizations between insurers, healthcare professionals and patients, as well as "regularly review the services and medications that require prior authorization and eliminate requirements for therapies that no longer warrant them."
To read more about the consensus statement and comments from each individual organization, click here.
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