Radiology groups renew push for bill to reform prior authorization

As 2025 winds down, radiology groups are renewing their push for a key bipartisan bill to reform prior authorization in the Medicare Advantage program. 

Lawmakers in the House and Senate previously introduced the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act in May, drawing widespread support in Congress and across the House of Medicine. The bill—which comes with zero added costs to the federal government—would streamline the “often cumbersome and time-consuming” task of approving requests for imaging and other services. 

However, despite its popularity, the Timely Access to Care Act has languished, failing to pass in spending packages that have recently made their way through Congress. Over 125 medical societies including several in radiology wrote to leaders in the House and Senate on Dec. 9, asking them to move forward with the proposal. 

“Prior authorization continues to be a leading source of care delays and frustration for patients and physicians alike,” physicians wrote. “The consequences are particularly acute for patients with complex or life-threatening conditions, such as cancer,” they added later. 

Those signing the message included the American College of Radiology, Society of Interventional Radiology, American Society of Neuroradiology, American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. They noted that this utilization management tactic used by payers can result in treatment delays, care denials, poor patient outcomes, and a heavy administrative burden. A 2024 survey from the American Medical Association found that 93% of physicians experienced care delays linked to prior authorization, while 82% said this has sometimes resulted in patients abandoning treatment. 

The Timely Access to Care Act would address this by requiring Medicare Advantage plans to implement an electronic prior authorization system that meets federal interoperability standards, rather than relying on faxes. It also would require public reporting of denial data and disclosure of any use of AI or other algorithmic tools to reach coverage determinations.  Further, the bill would give the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explicit authority to implement tighter deadlines for approving requests for imaging and other services. 

Radiologists and other physicians noted that the Timely Access to Care Act has been a key priority for national medical societies “for many years.” Previous versions of the bill passed in the House and key committees in the 117th and 118th Congresses, respectively. A majority in the House and super majority in the Senate are supporting the 2025 bill.

“Furthermore, the latest version of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act has been modified in a way that preserves its ability to enact meaningful changes to prior authorization processes while simultaneously ensuring limited to no fiscal impact as assessed by the Congressional Budget Office,” the medical societies wrote. “The time for expeditious legislative action is now. We urge the House and Senate to bring the H.R. 3514/S. 1816, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025, to the floor and pass it without delay.” 

ASNC also highlighted the letter in a Tuesday news update, encouraging physicians to write to their representatives and ask them to finalize the bill.