The American Medical Association praised Aetna for its efforts to eliminate prior authorization for opioids treatment beginning March 1, 2017.
"The AMA has advocated strongly for removing this hurdle, and we are pleased by Aetna's announcement. Increasing access to treatment is crucial to reversing the nation's opioid epidemic, and we urge all payers to show the leadership that Aetna has taken to make patient care a priority over administrative hurdles," said Patrice Harris, MD, chair of the AMA board of trustees and chair of the AMA Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse.
Physicians have noted that prior authorization requirements delay treatment for those patients who require it immediately.
Recently, Anthem and Cigna entered an agreement with the New York Attorney General to eliminate their prior authorization policies for medication-assisted treatment.
The AMA called on other state attorney generals to follow in New York's footsteps, ending policies that inhibit patients with substance-use disorders from receiving care in a timely manner.