85% of radiation oncologists surveyed say the burden of prior authorization is worsening
About 85% of physicians surveyed say the burden of prior authorization has worsened in the last three years, according to new survey data from the American Society from Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) released Wednesday.
Another 94% believe that this utilization-management tactic, deployed by health payers, exacerbates burnout among their staff. About 4 in 5 physicians polled said prior authorization forced them to reallocate employee time to managing these processes and their practices. And 54% said the majority of their cases require PA, up from 51% in 2020 and 44% in 2019.
The findings are from a nationwide survey of over 750 radiation oncologists, conducted in September and October.
“These survey findings confirm what radiation oncologists witness daily: Prior authorization policies are failing people with cancer, causing avoidable delays that are dangerous and, in too many cases, deadly,” Howard M. Sandler, MD, chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors, said in a statement shared Dec. 4.
Nearly 92% of those surveyed said PA causes treatment delays for their patients, occurring in about one-third of cases on average. Another 68% said the average delay lasts five days or more, up from 52% in the 2020 survey. One-third (33%) of radiation oncologists said prior authorization has led to patients abandoning radiation therapy, and 82% said it has forced physicians to resort to “less optimal treatment.”
The findings come as ASTRO and others push for passage of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2024 (S.4532, H.R.8702), which would reform PA processes in Medicare Advantage. Radiation oncology faces the heaviest burden from PA, ahead of cardiology and diagnostic radiology, a 2021 analysis found. The bill currently has majority support in both the House and Senate with 228 and 58 co-sponsors, respectively.
“We encourage Congress to act now to help end these life-threatening delays and put Medicare Advantage on a path toward transparency and accountability by passing this legislation before the current session ends,” Sandler said in the statement.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.