This is a significant development. Congratulations to U.S. health insurers for their commitment to finally addressing this issue.
CNBC: Health plans under major U.S. insurers said Monday they have voluntarily agreed to speed up and reduce prior authorizations – a process that is often a major pain point for patients and providers when getting and administering care.
Prior authorization makes providers obtain approval from a patient’s insurance company before they carry out specific services or treatments. Insurers say the process ensures patients receive medically necessary care and allows them to control costs. But patients and providers have slammed prior authorizations for, in some cases, leading to care delays or denials and physician burnout.
Dozens of plans under large insurers such as CVS Health, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Humana, Elevance Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield committed to a series of actions that aim to connect patients to care more quickly and reduce the administrative burden on providers, according to a release from AHIP, a trade group representing health plans.