ASE Joins Comments on the CMS/ONC Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs Proposed Rule

On June 15, ASE joined the Alliance of Specialty Medicine in submitting comments to Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on the proposed rule on Interoperability Standards and Prior  Authorization for Drugs (CMS-0062-P). The Alliance strongly supports extending the interoperability, timeliness, and transparency requirements from the 2024 final rule to cover prior authorization of drugs under both the medical and pharmacy benefits. The letter asks CMS to give providers a single, unified view of coverage across both benefit types, to set shorter decision deadlines with real-time approvals where possible, and to add a way to enforce those deadlines, warning that they will mean little without penalties or automatic approvals when payers miss them. The Alliance also backs broader public reporting of prior authorization data, asks CMS to keep formulary information in the Provider Access and Payer-to-Payer APIs, and reiterates its opposition to step therapy.

These reforms matter for echocardiography practices and their patients, who rely on timely access to needed drugs and diagnostic services. ASE’s participation reflects its commitment to streamlining prior authorization, holding payers accountable, and protecting patients’ timely access to cardiovascular care.