Federal Movement around ePA
| Kim Diehl-Boyd
In January, the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committee introduced a bill (HR 4841), the Standardizing Electronic Prior Authorization for Safe Prescribing Act, designed to make a significant difference in electronic prior authorization (ePA) usage in the Medicare Part D Program. If passed, the law will improve prescription access for Medicare beneficiaries. It is a step forward to improving an outdated system and also improve efficiencies by standardizing the PA process.
It’s important to note that this is not a mandate for providers, but direction for plans to expect to accept medication PA via an electronic solution.
CoverMyMeds has and continues to advocate extensively for adoption of this and other important technology in federal programs. Electronic prior authorization (ePA) data clearly shows improved time to therapy for a patients’ needed medication, with nearly 80 percent of providers agreeing it gets medication in the hands of patients more quickly.1 With the introduction of HR 4841, we’re excited to see what the future holds for the Medicare Part D program and the program’s beneficiaries. We’re grateful to the sponsors of this bill for seeing it’s benefits to patients.
CoverMyMeds will continue to be the best resource for information as the bill progresses. For additional information on the importance of legislation at both the state and federal level you can visit the ePA National Adoption Scorecard or reach out to Director of Government Affairs Kim Diehl-Boyd at KDiehlBoyd@covermymeds.com.
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