The ACC joined members of the Regulatory Relief Coalition (RRC) this week to celebrate the reintroduction of the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act. (H.R. 3514/S. 1816) By tackling the overuse and abuse of prior authorization by some Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, this legislation would safeguard patient access to quality, guideline-recommended medical care and ease the administrative burden imposed on clinicians by current prior authorization practices.

"Prior authorization should never be a barrier to timely, evidence-based care for our most vulnerable patients," said ACC President Christopher M. Kramer, MD, FACC. "The bipartisan legislation represents a critical step toward enabling clinicians to prioritize high-quality care over administrative obstacles. By reducing delays and streamlining care delivery, this bill will improve health outcomes and protect patients."

Specific reforms outlined by the legislation include implementing electronic prior authorization processes for MA plans, increasing transparency around MA prior authorization requirements, expediting determinations for routinely approved items and services, expanding protections for MA beneficiaries, and requiring reporting on program integrity and future efforts to improve the prior authorization process.

Reintroduced on May 20 in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, the bill had 73 representatives and 47 senators cement their support as original cosponsors. Beyond its substantial bipartisan approval among members of Congress, more than 140 organizations have endorsed the legislation, representing various health care stakeholders such as patients, clinicians, medical technology and pharmaceutical companies, health plans and others, according to an RRC press release. "The RRC urges Congress to act swiftly to enact this legislation into law this year considering its overwhelming support from hundreds of stakeholders and policymakers for many years."

In previous years, ACC members have helped garner support for the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act during ACC Legislative Conference, and the bill remains a federal legislative priority for the College. Explore more ways the ACC is ensuring patients receive high-quality, continuous care on ACC Advocacy's Foster Care Transformation and Optimization webpage.

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Prior Authorization, Health Services Accessibility, Medicare Part C