AANS and CNS Advocate for Streamlining Prior Authorization in Medicare

On Sept. 10, the AANS and the CNS issued a press release highlighting that organized neurosurgery joined nearly 370 national and state-based patient, provider and other health care stakeholder groups in a letter to Congress voicing support for H.R. 3107, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act. Sponsored by Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Roger Marshall, MD, (R-Kan.), and Ami Bera, MD, (D-Calif.), the legislation would protect patients in Medicare Advantage from unnecessary prior authorization practices that limit their timely access to medically necessary care. Joining the AANS and the CNS in supporting the legislation are neurosurgical societies from the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Additionally, on Sept. 11, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing titled, “Utilization Management: Barriers to Care and Burdens on Small Medical Practice.” The AANS and the CNS submitted a statement for the record. In August, the groups also submitted a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) responding to the agency’s request for information (RFI) on ways to improve prior authorization and the Appropriate Use Criteria Program.