Survey: Patient clinical outcomes shortchanged by prior authorization

CHICAGO — More than nine in 10 physicians (92 percent) say that prior authorizations programs have a negative impact on patient clinical outcomes, according to a new physician survey released today by the American Medical Association (AMA). The survey results further bolster a growing recognition across the entire health sector that prior authorization programs must be reformed.

“Under prior authorization programs, health insurance companies make it harder to prescribe an increasing number of medications or medical services until the treating doctor has submitted documentation justifying the recommended treatment,” said AMA Chair-elect Jack Resneck Jr., M.D. “In practice, insurers eventually authorize most requests, but the process can be a lengthy administrative nightmare of recurring paperwork, multiple phone calls and bureaucratic battles that can delay or disrupt a patient’s access to vital care. In my own practice, insurers are now requiring prior authorization even for generic medications, which has exponentially increased the daily paperwork burden.”