Federal regulatory burden -- particularly prior authorization requirements -- has increased for medical practices in the past year, according to an annual report released by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
The report includes responses from more than 500 medical practices and outlines the impact of federal regulations on the U.S. healthcare system. Of the survey respondents, 89% reported that regulatory burden on their practice has increased in the past year, citing prior authorization requirements and those prompted by the No Surprises Act and Medicare's Quality Payment program. An even higher percentage -- 97% -- stated that a reduction of regulatory requirements would help reallocate resources to patient care.
"The increase in prior authorization requirements year after year is simply unsustainable," said Anders Gilberg, MGMA's senior vice president of government affairs in a statement released by the MGMA. "Practices are being forced to divert resources away from delivering care to contend with these onerous and ever-changing requirements. It is time that Congress acts to put commonsense guardrails around prior authorization programs. We urge the expedient passage of the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act before the end of this year."
