The following is a press release issued on January 17, 2024:

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR), on behalf of over 7,900 rheumatologists and rheumatology professional team members, applauds the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for finalizing its Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes for Medicare Advantage Organizations rule recently.

“Prior authorization policies create significant undue burdens on patients and healthcare professionals and often result in significant delays to needed care, treatment abandonment, and irreversible harm to patients’ health,” said Deborah Dyett Desir, MD, president of ACR. “The ACR commends CMS for recognizing the negative impact of prior authorization on patients and the need to streamline the process to promote greater transparency between doctors’ offices and payers.”

Specifically, the rule would reduce the decision time to 24 hours for urgent requests and seven days for non-urgent requests. The rule also requires payers to provide the reason for prior authorization denials, creating greater transparency and establishing a more streamlined practice for resubmissions and appeals.

However, the ACR is concerned with the inclusion of e-prior authorization measures for merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS)-eligible providers under the performance improvement (PI) category as it will create additional burden for physicians.

While this final rule addresses many concerns about the use of utilization management tools, the ACR continues to urge Congress to pass the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (S. 3018/H.R. 3173) to statutorily address prior authorization issues in Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans.

“The ACR welcomes the opportunity to be a part of this discussion as policymakers work to ensure these programs are implemented in a way that streamlines patient care and minimizes administrative burden on physicians,” Desir concluded.

The following is a press release issued by the ACR on December 14, 2023:

Full title: ACR Applauds Lawmakers for First-Time Dedicated Arthritis Research Funds in the National Defense Authorization Act

Today, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) celebrates the first new medical research line item in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) in eight years for arthritis research under the Department of Defense’s (DoD) C recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2024.

“Investment in arthritis research will not only benefit those serving in our armed forces, but also the thousands of Americans, including many veterans, living with arthritis,” said Deborah Dyett Desir, MD, president of the American College of Rheumatology. “Efforts from this program will not only help curb the costs associated with managing and treating this disease but will also spur innovations and a better understanding of arthritis in the servicemember population.”

Arthritis research has been funded through the DoD’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) at varying levels since 2009, but given the many priorities of the PRMRP, funding is not guaranteed. The ACR and Arthritis Foundation have advocated for this CDMRP line item to designate specific funding annually to arthritis research and advance research on arthritis risks, outcomes, and treatments among service members. The ACR thanks House appropriations leaders for recognizing the necessity and value of arthritis research in the DoD with this $10M annual line item for arthritis research.

“We know that one in three veterans are diagnosed with arthritis, and it is the second-leading cause of medical dismissals from the military.  This funding is critical to advancing arthritis research and I’m optimistic that we will see the impact and benefits of this investment for years to come,” Dr. Desir concluded.