Healthcare providers and EHR vendors have joined a CMS pledge to streamline the prior authorization process.
The agency previously brought the nation’s largest payers together to address the issue, cutting more than 6 million prior authorizations and readying for the Jan. 1 launch of electronic prior authorization interfaces. Now, hospitals, health systems, physician practices, EHR vendors and digital health developers are entering the equation.
“It is way past time to axe the fax, kill the clipboard, and put patients over paperwork,” CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, wrote in a May 5 blog post.
Working groups will coordinate around CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule deadlines, fill workflow gaps and fix technical handoffs. The agency is also collaborating with vendors to incorporate electronic prior authorization directly into EHRs.
“When data flows seamlessly — between a provider’s EHR, the payer’s electronic prior authorization interfaces, and a patient’s health record — the entire system becomes more responsive, more accountable, and more focused on what matters most: getting patients the care they need without unnecessary delays or burdens,” Dr. Oz wrote.
