The California Legislature has passed a California Medical Association-backed bill that extends the validity of approved prior authorizations to one year, and the bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
The bill requires health plans and insurers to honor an approved prior authorization for at least one year, or for the full length of a prescribed treatment course if shorter. Under the current standard, an approved prior authorization request is typically valid for about 60 to 90 days, according to an Aug. 27 California Medical Association news release.
The CMA said the current narrow window forces physicians to resubmit requests for unchanged treatment plans.
“By addressing redundancies in the current approval process, this legislation will significantly reduce administrative burdens on physicians and ensure that patients maintain timely access to the care they need,” CMA said in the release.
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