Vermont Business Magazine As part of a survey requested by the Vermont Legislature circulated by the Vermont Medical Society, HealthFirst, Bistate Primary Care and the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, Vermont clinicians report that prior authorizations are increasing in volume, time consuming for clinicians and medical practices, and that they delay care for patients and increase burnout for practitioners.
This survey was requested as part of Act 111, as passed in 2024, which tasked health care provider organizations with measuring the impact of prior authorizations for health care services before and after implementation of the law aimed at streamlining and reducing prior authorizations.
241 clinicians and 65 health care administrators completed the survey in November and December and this data is considered the baseline before Act 111 is implemented. The questions were designed to mirror those asked in the American Medical Association’s national prior authorization survey.
The Vermont Medical Society has now compiled the results. Highlights include:
Prior authorizations (PAs) are time consuming:
•Clinicians report they complete 21.4 authorizations per week and spend 15.13 hours on these authorizations
•Administrators report 52.66 hours of ordering provider time and 27.21FTEs of additional staff time spent on PAs each week in their practice
PAs are increasing:
•77% of clinicians/94% of administrators say the number of PAs for medications have increased in the last year
•64% of clinicians/77% of administrators report PAs for medical services have increased
PAs harm patients and clinicians:
•95% of clinicians report that PAs lead to higher utilization of health care resources such as additional office visits or ED visits
•81% of clinicians report that PAs delay access to necessary care
•32% of clinicians report that PAs have led to a serious adverse event such as hospitalization or death
•99% of clinicians and 100% of administrators report that PAs increase burnout
See the full results of the survey here.
About the Vermont Medical Society: The Vermont Medical Society is the leading voice of physicians in the state and is dedicated to optimizing the health of all Vermonters and the health care environment in which Vermont physicians and physician assistants practice medicine. The Society serves its 3,100 members through public policy advocacy on the state and federal levels, as well as by providing legal, administrative and educational support, producing a rich flow of news and information and offering member benefits that increase medical practice effectiveness and efficiency. For more information, visit www.VTMD.org.
Source: Montpelier, Vt. (Jan. 15, 2024) – Vermont Medical Society
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