Comment on CMS-2026-1255-0001
PALTOWN Development FoundationSupportAdvocacy
Summary: The Paltown Development Foundation, a nonprofit patient advocacy organization, supports CMS's efforts to modernize and streamline prior authorization processes. They argue that rigid prior authorization creates dangerous delays and denials for medically necessary cancer biomarker testing and urge CMS to implement specific protections to ensure timely patient access.
PALTOWN Development Foundation commends CMS for its ongoing efforts to modernize and streamline prior authorization processes, and we deeply appreciate the opportunity to provide specific feedback via the Request for Information regarding the impact of prior authorization on timely patient access to medically necessary laboratory testing, as referenced in Section III.E of CMS-0062-P.
On behalf of the colorectal cancer community COLONTOWN, we offer our analysis and testimony on the real-world impacts of these policies, including treatment delays, coverage denials, repeated blood draws, and unnecessary stress on patients and caregivers. The concerns raised here are especially critical for colorectal cancer patients and all cancer patients who require biomarker and other advanced laboratory testing, which are essential to tailoring treatments, monitoring disease progression, and predicting clinical outcomes.
Please find our analysis and recommendations attached.
PALTOWN Development Foundation
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