Physicians say their support staff spends an increasing amount of time on prior authorizations over the last five years, according to a recent Medscape report.
The findings of the "Looking for More Leverage: Medscape Physician-Private Payer Relationship Report 2024" come from 1,030 physicians surveyed across more than 29 specialties between Feb. 1, 2024, and March 19, 2024.
Thirty-seven percent of respondents said that staff hours spent on prior authorizations have risen somewhat over the last five years, while 31% said that they have risen substantially. Twenty-five percent said that staff spent about the same time on prior authorizations as they did five years ago, while 5% said the hours declined somewhat and 2% said the hours declined substantially.
There were similar findings regarding the amount of time that medical office staff spend on billing compliance. Forty percent of respondents said that staff hours spent on billing compliance rose somewhat over the last five years, with 21% saying those hours rose substantially. Another 32% said that staff hours were about the same as they were five years ago, with just 5% and 2% saying that they declined somewhat or substantially, respectively.