Economics BY AMY LYNN SORREL
Gilbert Blancarte, MD, and his wife and ofice administrator, Sharon Blancarte, are happy to spend less time filling out five-page forms for prior authorizations and more time with patients. Now, the forms are just one to two pages and the same across payers.
Good form
TDI RELEASES STANDARDIZED PRIOR AUTHORIZATION FORMS FOR MEDICAL CARE, DRUGS
A
sheet or two of paper may not seem that valuable. But for Austin Inter- nal Medicine Clinic, it means more precious time dedicated to patient care.
New standardized prior authorization forms released by the Texas Depart-
ment of Insurance (TDI) promise to wipe away some of the administrative busy work and related costs that take physicians like Gilbert Blancarte, MD, away from that priority.
PHOTO BY BRETT BUCHANAN
“Prior authorizations are really a
big hassle, and it would be better if we didn’t have to do them,” he laughed.
“But since we do, having a universal form would be wonderful. It helps us get approved more quickly and get an answer one way or another so we can either give the patient what they need or look for an alternative.” Even for the same medication,
from one patient to the next, it’s not unusual for his office administrator to fill out four or five different prescrip- tion authorization forms — sometimes four or five pages each — for the many
March 2015 TEXAS MEDICINE 29
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