APMA is pleased to again endorse the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3514/S. 1816), also known as the Seniors’ Act. Reintroduced last month, this bill will significantly benefit podiatrists and other physicians by streamlining the time-consuming prior authorization process in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
If passed, the bill will allow podiatrists to concentrate more on patient care and less on administrative tasks. The Seniors’ Act, sponsored by Sens. Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS), and Mark Warner (D-VA), along with Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Ami Bera, MD (D-CA), and John Joyce, MD (R-PA), would codify and enhance several prior authorization provisions finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last year. Among the key provisions included in this bill are the establishment of an electronic prior authorization process for MA plans and an increase in transparency regarding MA prior authorization requirements and their use.