January 2020: The past year was a busy one for ACC Advocacy. Here are some highlights of the many efforts to improve access to care and practice stability, reduce administrative burden, increase member engagement, promote value-based care, and optimize care and improve population health.

Reducing Administrative Burden and Prior Authorization
As part of strategic efforts to develop and advocate for public policy solutions to issues that hinder patient care and contribute to administrative burden and clinician burnout, the ACC worked closely with stakeholders across the house of medicine, as well as ACC’s State Chapters on several efforts. For example, as part of its work with the Regulatory Relief Coalition, the College helped craft legislation and secured introduction of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2019 to address prior authorization in Medicare Advantage plans. Additionally, more than 1,200 records of authorization denials from 38 states have been submitted through ACC’s Prior Authorization Reporting Tool (PARTool) to date and conversations with payers and other stakeholders on opportunities to mitigate this burden and advance solutions continue.