Over 1 in 4 physicians say prior authorizations lead to serious adverse events, AMA survey finds
Fierce Healthcare (2/6, Finnegan) reports, “In a survey (pdf) by the American Medical Association” conducted online in December, “28% of 1,000 responding physicians said the prior authorization process required by health insurers for certain drugs, tests and
treatments have led to serious or life-threatening adverse events for patients.” Physicians were specifically asked “if the prior authorization process ever affected care delivery and led to a serious adverse event, such as a death, hospitalization, disability or permanent bodily damage or other life-threatening event for a patient in their care.” In an announcement that released the result of the survey, AMA Chair Jack Resneck, Jr., M.D., said, “The AMA survey continues to illustrate that poorly designed, opaque prior authorization programs can pose an unreasonable and
costly administrative obstacle to patient-centered care.” Dr. Resneck added, “The time is now for insurance companies to work with physicians, not against us, to improve and streamline the prior authorization process so that patients are ensured timely access to the evidence-based, quality healthcare they need.”
