Regulatory challenges increasing among medical practices

Medical practices continue to face overwhelming regulatory challenges, many of them associated with prior authorization and the Medicare Quality Payment Program. In many cases, the burden has increased year-over-year.

That’s the bottom line of a new survey from the Medical Group Management Association, which also found that regulatory hurdles are increasingly interfering with clinical goals and improving patient outcomes.

In the past, MGMA has advocated that policymakers in Washington scale back regulatory burden for medical practices, arguing that these requirements divert time and resources away from delivering patient care. Yet as indicated in this year’s report, the regulatory burden continues to rise.

Of the survey respondents – which were comprised of executives from more than 500 group practices – 89% said the overall regulatory burden on their practice has increased over the past 12 months. Eleven percent said it stayed the same; only 1% said it had decreased.

An overwhelming 97% said a reduction in regulatory burden would allow them to reallocate resources toward patient care.

When asked which regulatory issues were the most vexing, the top two answers – by a long shot – were prior authorization and surprise billing and good faith estimate requirements.

WHAT’S THE IMPACT

Respondents made the case that prior authorization delays patient care and increases provider costs and burden. Payers require medical practices to obtain…