Prior auth reform: We’ll believe it when we see it, physicians say

Prior authorization has long frustrated physicians and alarmed patient advocates. Now, new information from the American Medical Association puts hard numbers on what many physicians experience every day. The 2025 AMA Prior Authorization Physician Survey, conducted in December 2025 among 1,000 practicing physicians, documents the toll this process takes on patients, practices and physician well-being. The findings arrive as major insurers face their first deadline under a voluntary reform pledge. The numbers are compelling.