Article:
By Stephen G. Friedhoff, Jeffrey F. Hankoff, and Michael S. Sherman
February 12, 2020 - 12:00 AM
Are you kidding me? Surely no one will really believe this smokescreen? Here are 3 executives of Anthem, Cigna, and Pilgrim Health writing a fluff piece about how prior authorizations save lives. This is not science. It’s an attempt to hide the reality behind one of the most wasteful policies in healthcare. Prior Authorizations have devastated the workflow and productivity of every primary care physician in America. This policy has wasted millions of dollars within PCP offices, caused physicians to leave practice, and staff to change careers. Of course we must stop unnecessary prescriptions. But the prior authorization process only shifts expenses onto the backs of the lowest paid physicians in healthcare. If an insurance company determines a drug is bad, then just don’t pay for it. Period. Don’t change formularies every year based upon your revenue. And don’t tell patients to “Call your family doctor to get it authorized”. Patients think it’s just a quick call or it’s their doctor’s fault that they can’t get medicine. Those are lies. Prior authorizations often take 20-30 minutes working through a maze of dead-ends. This tech can be changed! #healthcare #physician #timewaste #primarycarephysicians #medicine #healthcarecosts #healthinsurance
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