Prior authorization hurts patients

February 15, 2019

A few days ago, the American Medical Association released this video explaining how prior authorization hurts patients. Implemented by health insurance plans, prior authorization requires your physician to obtain approval from your plan before prescribing a specific treatment or medicine. In many cases, prior authorization ends up being a long, arduous process that ends up delaying much needed care.

More than 9 in 10 respondents said prior authorization had a significant or somewhat negative clinical impact, with 28 percent reporting that prior authorization had 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.

Prior authorization is just one tactic insurance companies use to minimize costs. Other barriers that delay access to treatment and care include:

• Adverse Tiering
• Coinsurance
• Continuity of Care
• Copay Accumulators
• High Deductible Plan
• Non-medical Switching
• Out-of-Network Charges
• Prior Authorization
• Step Therapy

Learn more about prior authorization and how to take action here.

For more information about barriers health plans implement that limit access to the care patients need and deserve, click here.