The letter asks the Chair to add the prior auth reform bill to the June 27 hearing agenda.
MSDC sent a letter to Committee on Health Chair Vincent Gray on June 14 asking for a hearing on B24-655 before the summer recess. Signing the letter were over 120 DC physicians and healthcare providers representing 21 different zip codes.
The letter was sent because the committee announced a hearing on June 27 to consider four different bills. One of them is MSDC-endorsed B24-557, the Copay Accumulator Amendment Act, on which MSDC and a number of other organizations will be testifying
for. As of now, the prior authorization bill is not on the agenda, despite an overwhelming desire from the community for a hearing on this important issue.
B24-655 would enact a number of commonsense reforms adopted by numerous other states when it comes to prior auths. The bill would require a medical reason for the prior auth, ensuring appropriate medical professionals are doing the utilization reviews,
set a standard time for insurers to honor the issued prior auths, and more. The bill is modeled after American Medical Association (AMA) model language and has been reviewed by MSDC and numerous other medical associations. The legislation would be
the most positively impactful bill for medicine in years.
Physicians, healthcare providers, and patients interested in getting involved can visit msdc.org/priorauth to learn more. MSDC encourages everyone interested to testify on behalf of B24-557 on June 27 and, if it is added, B24-655.
The text of the letter is below:
June 14, 2022
The Honorable Vincent Gray
Chair, Committee on Health
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20004
Dear Chair Gray,
We, the undersigned physicians and healthcare professionals, urge you to hold a hearing before the Council summer recess on B24-655, the Prior Authorization Reform Amendment Act.
The Prior Authorization Reform Amendment Act aligns DC with other states in regulating a practice that severely harms our ability to treat our patients.
The recent American Medical Association (AMA) physician survey on prior auth showed that 93% of physicians report care delays because of prior authorization. The same survey showed that physician offices spend 13 hours each week (almost two business days)
dedicated to prior auth paperwork.
These delays impact our residents and patients daily, leading many to wait unnecessarily for their treatments or choose to abandon them altogether.
We ask you to hold a hearing on this bill because you and your colleagues need to hear our stories about how prior authorizations negatively impact physicians across the District. We look forward to continuing to share our stories and working with your
office to pass this legislation in 2022.
Sincerely
Alan W Stone
Alicia R. G. Khan
Allison Jackson
Aminah Jones, MD MPH, FAAFP
Amir Meiri, MD MPH
Andrea Hulse-Johnson, DO
Andres Barkil
Anirban Ganguli
Anjali Malik, MD
Ann Medinger MD, FACP
Anna BuAbbud
Anne Siegel
Anthony Scialli, M.D.
Ashesh D. Patel, MD FACP
Barry Fisher, MD
Barry J Landau. M. D.
Bhumika Gandhi MD
Brian Epling
Caren Palese, MD
Caroline Wing Wohlgemuth MD
Carolyn Wakeman, MD
Catherine Chow
Catherine S May, MD
Celina Brunson
Chan Dang-Vu, MD
Cheryl Iglesia MD
Christian Moser, MD
Colin Stewart, MD
Constance E. Dunlap MD
Dale Isaacson MD
Dana Mueller
Daniel W. Hicks
DeAndra Jamerson
Deborah Abramsky, CNM, MPH
Dianne Reynolds, M.D.
Dr J Kupersmith
Dr Poonam Maru
Dr. Adam Miramon
Earl H. Harley, M.D.
Ebony Hoskins
Eduardo Fox, MD
Elizabeth Hoge
Evelyn M Karson PhDMD
Fatemeh Milani, MD
Feseha Woldu
Francis Chucker MD
Frederick Jacobsen, MD
Gelane Workneh MD
H Jeffry Kim
Harshkumar Patel
Helain J. Landy, MD
Hojin Lee
Insiya Nasrulla
J Desiree Pineda MD
James A. Simon, MD
James Cobey, MD
James F. Loomis, MD
Jason Wexler
Jaya Kasaraneni
Jeff Bostic
Jessica Schroeder MD, MPH
Jillian G. Evans
John M Stewart
Joseph M Houston, M.D.
JULIAN CRAIG
Justen Ahmad, MD
Karen Anderson
KAREN B MAZIE
Karen R Myers MD FACP
Kenneth C. Ullman, MD.,D.L.F.A.P.A.,P.C.
Kirstiaan Nevin
Kristina Andersson
Leslie Goransson, MD
Luis Dominguez
Madhumathi Rao
Mani Yavi, M.D.
Mansi Kotwal
Mark J. Smith M.D.
Mark M Sklar
Matthew Lecuyer
Mayada Akil MD
Megan M. Lockwood, MD
Meghan Schott
Melissa Loughney, M.D.
Melvin W Williams MD
Michael Goldstein
Michael Morse MD
Michael Nidel
MOHAMMED Kabir Abubakar
Ndidi Obichere
Neal D. Barnard, MD, FACC
Nehal S Naik, MD
Nicholas Hazen
Nicole Chappell
Nora Galil MD
Paul Doherty, MD
Pauline Tsai, MD
Punam Thakkar
Raihanahmed Chowdhury
Randi Rubovits-Seitz
Richard A Ratner, MD
Richard A. Chefetz, M.D.
Richard D. Zorowitz, M.D.
Ritika Gadodia
robert keisling M.D.
Ronald M. Costell, M.D.
Sara L Imershein MD MPH
Sean Kenmore, MD, MS
Sean Pustilnik, M.D.
Seiji Hayashi, MD, MPH
Shaitalya Vellanki, MD
Shalini Sitzmann DO
Siva Subramanian
Sonia D. Silinsky Krupnikova
Stephanie Kubala
STEPHANY A MCGANN
Stephen M Weissman
Susan D Stein, MD
Susanne Bathgate MD
Sylvia R. Medley, MD, MPH
Tara Palmore, M.D.
Tiffany Wilson
Walter P. Bland, M.D., LFAPA
William Cohen, M.D.
William Smith
Xiaoxi Ouyang
