OCT 05, 2017
Academy Presses Forward to Win Support for Regulatory Relief Effort
A shakeup at the top of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services isn’t abating the Academy’s push to deliver regulatory relief for physicians. At a meeting with high-ranking HHS officials this week, Academy Health Policy Committee chair David B. Glasser, MD, reiterated our request that the Trump Administration solve troubling prior-authorization issues that cost physicians major time away from patients.
The meeting was scheduled prior to the sudden resignation of Tom Price, MD, as HHS secretary. Instead, the Academy met with Don J. Wright, acting HHS secretary, who pledged to continue seeking means for regulatory relief. He was joined by senior officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Glasser was among just a handful of participants spanning health care to speak at the meeting. He made the following recommendations:
- That HHS stabilize policies that can ensure access to Avastin for the treatments of AMD, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy; and
- That CMS bring oversight to prior authorization under its Medicare Advantage program.
In addition to Acting Secretary Wright, the Academy spoke with CMS Administrator Seema Verma. She remains an important figure in our regulatory relief campaign.