The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a new pilot program called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) to introduce prior authorization for certain treatments under traditional Medicare, affecting approximately 6.4 million beneficiaries. The program utilizes artificial intelligence to review requests for procedures such as epidural steroid injections and nerve stimulation, aiming to reduce fraud and waste. However, reports indicate that the implementation has led to significant delays in care, with patients in Washington facing authorization waits of up to three weeks. Critics argue that this model may mirror the challenges faced in Medicare Advantage, potentially hindering timely access to necessary medical services.
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Link to original article source: https://finance.yahoo.com/healthcare/article/medicares-prior-authorization-experiment-is-off-to-a-rocky-start-121019353.html
