On MA prior auth, Congress proposes relief — but CMS is ahead of the game
Published:
August 10, 2023

A couple of new bills — or rather, retreads of old bills — demonstrate increased congressional interest in reforming prior authorization (PA) under Medicare Advantage (MA). While the success of these bills is not assured, a recent proposed rule shows CMS is willing to move on this issue itself, with Congress serving more as a cheerleader than as a legal authority.
Cohere Health’s Alina M. Czekai, Vice President of Value-Based Care Strategy & former Senior Advisor to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, who worked on the original rule, sat down with Roy Edroso, Editor, Part B News, to discuss how the legislation would improve transparency within the prior authorization process, reduce physician burden, and result in faster access to patient care.
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Cohere
Health
Cohere Health’s clinical intelligence platform delivers AI-powered solutions that streamline access to quality care by improving collaboration between physicians and health plans. Cohere works with 660,000 providers and processes millions of prior authorization requests annually. Its AI auto-approves up to 90% of requests for millions of health plan members. Cohere has been recognized in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for U.S. Healthcare Payers in 2024 and 2025, named a Top 5 LinkedIn™ Startup in 2023 and 2024, and is a three-time KLAS Points of Light award recipient.
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