The Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2024 (H.R. 8702/S. 4532) has achieved significant bipartisan support in recent weeks, reaching 166 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives and 47 co-sponsors in the Senate.

The legislation builds on regulatory action taken by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services earlier this year, requiring the use of electronic prior authorization, tightening response timelines and updating transparency requirements.

The ACC has been a driving force behind this legislation, from working with the bill authors to incorporate a series of positive reforms to meeting with key policymakers to urge its reintroduction.

The continued momentum for reform comes following a major push by ACC's grassroots network to share clinician perspectives with Congress on how prior authorization burdens can lead to unnecessary delays in patient care and contribute to burnout among health care professionals.

More than 1,000 ACC members have sent messages to their lawmakers in Congress urging support for this bill.

Prior authorization reform has long been a priority for the ACC when engaging with lawmakers, and keeping the issue front-of-mind for lawmakers has helped raise awareness of the many negative impacts prior authorization burden can have on clinician and patient well-being. It is also why many co-sponsors from last Congress are signing on as original co-sponsors to this reintroduced bill.

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Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, Prior Authorization, Medicaid, Medicare, ACC Advocacy, Health Policy