Marilyn Heine Profile picture
Mar 13 28 tweets 10 min read
🎇#FixPriorAuth

🧵”The approval process health insurers impose on medical services or drugs is generating a toll that exceeds the purported benefits, according to a physician survey released today by ⁦@AmerMedicalAssn⁩ and shared in a letter to federal health officials.”
2/ For an infographic of the survey results, please see👇

ama-assn.org/system/files/p…

For more from the @AmerMedicalAssn press release, please read on. #OurAMA
3/ “While health insurers claim prior authorization requirements are used for cost and quality control, a vast majority of physicians say authorization controls lead to unnecessary waste and avoidable patient harm.”

#FixPriorAuth
4/ “‘Health plans continue to inappropriately impose bureaucratic prior authorization policies that conflict with evidence-based clinical practices, waste vital resources, jeopardize quality care, and harm patients,’” said @AmerMedicalAssn President @JackResneckMD.
5/ “‘The byzantine system of authorization controls is rife with opportunities for reform and the AMA continues to work with federal & state officials on legislative solutions to reduce waste, improve efficiency, & protect patients from obstacles to medically necessary care.’”
6/ “According to the AMA survey, more than four in five physicians (8️⃣6️⃣%) reported that prior authorization requirements led to higher overall utilization of health care resources, resulting in unnecessary waste rather than cost-savings.”
7/ “[% physicians who reported resources were diverted due to prior authorization policies]

6️⃣4️⃣% to ineffective initial treatments

6️⃣2️⃣% to additional office visits

4️⃣6️⃣% of physicians reported prior authorization policies led to urgent or emergency care for patients.”
8/ 🔥“The health insurance industry maintains prior authorization criteria reflect evidence-based medicine, but physician experiences call into question the clinical validity of insurer-created criteria that lack transparency.”
9/ ❗️“Only 1️⃣5️⃣% of physicians reported that prior authorization criteria were often or always evidence-based.

❗️Other critical concerns highlighted in the AMA survey include:”
10/ 🔥 “Patient Harm - 3️⃣3️⃣% of physicians reported that prior authorization led to a serious adverse event for a patient in their care, including hospitalization, permanent impairment, or death.”
11/ 🔥”Bad Outcomes - Nearly nine in 10 physicians (8️⃣9️⃣%) reported that prior authorization had a negative impact on patient clinical outcomes.”
12/ 🔥“Delayed Care - More than nine in 10 physicians (9️⃣4️⃣%) reported that prior authorization delayed access to necessary care.”
13/ 🔥”Disrupted Care - Four in five physicians (8️⃣0️⃣%) said patients abandoned treatment due to authorization struggles with health insurers.”
14/ 🔥”Lost Workforce Productivity - More than half of physicians (5️⃣8️⃣%) who cared for patients in the workforce reported that prior authorizations had impeded a patient’s job performance.”
15/ “In addition, a significant majority of physicians (8️⃣8️⃣%) said burdens associated with prior authorization were high or extremely high.”
16/ ❗️“This costly administrative burden pulls resources from direct patient care as medical practices complete an average of 4️⃣5️⃣ prior authorizations per physician, per week, which consume the equivalent of almost 2️⃣ business days (1️⃣4️⃣ hours) of physician and staff time.”
17/ “To keep up with the administrative burden, nearly two in five physicians (3️⃣5️⃣%) employed staff members to work exclusively on tasks associated with prior authorization.”
18/ “The AMA survey results illustrate a critical need to streamline or eliminate low-value prior authorization requirements to minimize waste, delays, and disruptions in care delivery.”
19/ “The AMA has taken a leading role in advocating for prior authorization reforms and today submitted comments to @CMSGov largely supporting the agency’s proposals to improve prior authorization.”

Read comments here 👉 tinyurl.com/y8u3p7ba
20/ “These [CMS] proposals align with the AMA’s 2017 Prior Authorization and Utilization Management Reform Principles.”

Read Principles here developed by a multi-stakeholder group including patients, physicians, & others 👉 tinyurl.com/2p9kmuku
21/ These CMS proposals also align with “2018 Consensus Statement on Improving the Prior Authorization Process and will significantly improve prior authorization across a number of federal and state insurance programs.”

Read Consensus Statement here 👉 tinyurl.com/2p8uy75e
22/ "’The AMA greatly appreciates Administrator Brooks-LaSure’s reform proposal and its focus on the role of payer decision-making and electronic information exchange in the prior authorization process,’” said @JackResneckMD.
23/ “‘CMS has proposed two sets of rules on prior authorization, and as in comments on the initial rule, the AMA continues to applaud the administrator for acknowledging patient and physician concerns in both sets of proposed rules.’”

Read AMA letter 👉 tinyurl.com/yp6hyfdw
24/ “The AMA also provided the administrator with several recommendations to strengthen CMS’ proposals, particularly around the rule’s scope, payer transparency, and processing time requirements.”
25/ “The AMA continues to work on every front to streamline prior authorization.”

Read reform initiatives and resources, practice resources, research and reports from AMA 👉 ama-assn.org/practice-manag…
26/ Through the “Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians the AMA is working to right-size prior authorization programs so that physicians can focus on patients rather than paperwork.”

Read about the AMA Recovery Plan 👉 ama-assn.org/amaone/ama-rec…
27/ “Patients, physicians, and employers can learn more about reform efforts and share personal experiences with prior authorization at FixPriorAuth.org.”

fixpriorauth.org
28/ To read the press release, Heavy Toll from Prior Authorization Exceeds Alleged Benefits, According to Physicians: ama-assn.org/press-center/p…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Marilyn Heine

Marilyn Heine Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @MarilynHeineMD

Mar 11
🧵Great review of the #340B program, how it has veered away from its intent, and negative consequences for #DrugPrices. | ⁦@wasan_kumar⁩ ⁦@kevin_schulman

Some takeaways follow 👇 ImageImageImage
2/ “The 340B program was established in response to concerns among safety-net providers regarding the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, which was enacted in 1990 and required manufacturers to offer their lowest prices to the Medicaid program.”
3/ “An inadvertent effect of [Medicaid Drug Rebate] policy was that safety-net providers lost access to the discounts they had previously received from drug manufacturers. The 340B program was intended to restore discounts to providers caring for low-income and uninsured people.”
Read 10 tweets
Oct 14, 2022
🧵⁦#OurAMA finds widespread lack of competition in local markets across US where #PBMs provide services to commercial health insurers.

⁩First analysis to examine variations in market shares/competition among PBMs at state/metropolitan levels.

Read: tinyurl.com/bdf8m258
2/ AMA’s competition analysis presents national and local market insight on 5 different #PBM services performed for insurers:

•rebate negotiation
•retail network management
•claim adjudication
•formulary management
•benefit design

Read report here: ama-assn.org/system/files/p…
3/ @AmerMedicalAssn President @JackResneckMD said:

“The AMA already has serious concerns about #PBM business practices that can have a detrimental impact on patients’ access to and cost of prescription drugs.”

“PBM markets require careful scrutiny…” See👇
Read 13 tweets
Sep 22, 2022
🧵⁦@AmerMedicalAssn⁩ & ⁦@ahahospitals⁩ support Texas suit challenging surprise billing rule provision.

👉 Read: ama-assn.org/press-center/p…

#NoSurprisesAct
2/ Press release states:

“Hospitals and doctors strongly believe that no patient should fear receiving a surprise medical bill and that patients should be kept out of the middle of any billing disputes between providers and commercial health insurance companies.”

continued 👇
3/“The AHA & AMA fully support the lawsuit just filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas which challenges the government’s August 2022 final rule (tinyurl.com/ycypc2fa) regarding the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution process.”
Read 7 tweets
Sep 16, 2022
🧵👏👏 TY ⁦@RepBera⁩ ⁦@RepLarryBucshon⁩ for introducing HR 8800, the “Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022.”

This would give critical support to physicians who, w/release of the proposed rule for the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, again face payment cuts.
2/ Read: Across-the-board Medicare physician pay cuts are wrong way forward

ama-assn.org/practice-manag…
3/ The bipartisan legislation would provide relief from the scheduled 4.42% Medicare conversion factor payment cut and offer stability as the @AmerMedicalAssn works to improve the #Medicare payment system.
Read 7 tweets
Jun 6, 2022
🔥 Congress is rushing to push through a bill that recklessly expands scope of practice.

Tell #Congress vote NO on H.R. 6087.

•Threatens patients’ health & safety,
•Leads to ⬆️ health care costs
•Does little to expand access, particularly in rural & underserved areas. Image
3/ Read @AmerMedicalAssn letter to @SpeakerPelosi @GOPLeader: tinyurl.com/bv2eej75

Takeaways:

Education Matters: Patients want physicians involved in their diagnosis and treatment decisions

But it is more than just the vast difference in hours of education and training.
Read 7 tweets
May 27, 2022
🔥A must-read: ⁦@oncologyCOA⁩ report on #PBMs

Some takeaways:

“…PBMs make up an oligopoly of rich, vertically integrated conglomerates that routinely prey on health care practices, providers, and their patients.”
2/ “PBMs have done this by overwhelmingly abusing their responsibility to protect Americans from this country’s drug pricing crisis, instead exploiting the opacity throughout the nation’s drug supply chain to enrich themselves.”
3/ “[The report] explores how the recent levels of consolidation among PBMs and health insurers is adversely impacting #cancer care, fueling drug costs, all while allowing for massive profits for #PBMs and health insurance companies.”
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(