December always feels like crunch time. We have the holidays, decorating, planning, gifting and get-togethers. Patients trying to get everything in since they’ve met their deductible before the end of the calendar year. Then there’s the elephant in the room: it’s officially “sick season”. It feels like we are busier than ever.
My schedule is full of patients experiencing viral illnesses like flu, RSV, and COVID-19. With so many appointments, I am even more aware of the crunch we’ve experienced in healthcare during this pandemic. The pharmacies are understaffed, the medications are in short supply, and to top it off, we have administrative burdens that get in the way of caring for our patients.
Like many of you, prior authorization tops my list of red tape hindering my work. In fact, during our recent KMA Member Survey, 61% of you cited prior authorization as the main administrative burden impacting your practice.
That’s why in October I testified on our KMA’s behalf in front of the Interim Joint Committee on Health, Welfare, and Family Services regarding eligibility criteria and requirements relating to prior authorization. During the 2023 session, our KMA will be