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. 2022 May 1;117(5):802-805.
doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000001728. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

2021 National Survey on Prior Authorization Burden and Its Impact on Gastroenterology Practice

Eric D Shah  1 , Stephen T Amann  2 , James Hobley  3 , Sameer Islam  4 , Raja Taunk  5 , Louis Wilson  6
Affiliations

2021 National Survey on Prior Authorization Burden and Its Impact on Gastroenterology Practice

Eric D Shah et al. Am J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Prior authorizations (PAs) are intended to control prescription drug expenditures.

Methods: One hundred fifty-six physician and advanced practice provider members of the American College of Gastroenterology completed a national survey to assess PA burden and impact.

Results: One-half of PA requests relate to prescription refills. Greater than 50% of the respondents choose inferior treatments at least weekly because of perceived PA burden for preferred agents. One-half of the respondents reported a patient who experienced serious adverse events due to PA-related care delays.

Discussion: PA is an administrative burden that exhausts practice resources and may have a negative impact on patient care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Guarantor of the article: Eric D. Shah, MD, MBA, FACG.

Specific author contributions: All authors were involved in study concept and design and interpretation of data. E.D.S.: authored the initial draft of the article and performed statistical analysis. All authors critically revised the article and approved the final copy.

Financial support: None to report.

Potential competing interests: E.D.S.: consulted for Bausch Health and GI Supply. S.T.A.: consulted for Eli Lilly.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Burden of prior authorizations on gastroenterology practice.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Impact of the prior authorization burden on clinical care recommendations. FDA, Food and Drug Administration.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Impact of the prior authorization burden on patient harm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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