North Carolina lawmakers introduced legislation March 18 aimed at reforming the approval process for prior authorizations.
The bill would require payers to notify physicians within a specific timeframe if the medical necessity of a service is being questioned. It would also mandate that payers publicly disclose a list of the medical services that require a prior authorization review, and sets a 48-hour deadline for insurers to notify physicians and patients about non-emergency service approvals.
Once all necessary information is provided to the insurer, the approval or denial decision would have to be made within that timeframe.
Several states have recently introduced legislation aimed at reforming the prior authorization process.
