June 21, 2023: MGMA statement on congressional support to reform prior authorization

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 21, 2023

Media Contact:
Emily Dowsett
Associate Director, Public Affairs
edowsett@mgma.com
 

MGMA statement on congressional support to reform prior authorization

Anders Gilberg
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
Medical Group Management Association

“MGMA applauds Congress' leadership in addressing much-needed prior authorization reform and appreciates their willingness to engage with CMS to refine and swiftly finalize the Prior Authorization and Interoperability rule. Prior authorization requirements are routinely identified by medical groups as the most challenging and burdensome obstacle to running their practices and delivering high-quality care. Increasing prior authorization requirements are detrimental to both practices and the patients they treat. The onerous methods of completing these requests, coupled with the increasing volume, is unsustainable. Although MGMA’s principal goal is to reduce the number of prior authorization requests, an electronic program, if implemented appropriately, has the potential to alleviate administrative burden and allow practices to reinvest resources in patient care.

The Medicare Advantage program is overdue for reform. MGMA is appreciative of CMS finalizing the 2024 MA and Part D final rule earlier this year, and believes that by finalizing critical updates to the Prior Authorization and Interoperability rule, the agency will be able to further enhance the ability of medical groups to provide high-quality, cost-effective care to the millions of patients they serve routinely.”

###