Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 48.43 - Insurance Reform.
48.43.0161 - Prior authorization practices—Carrier annual reporting requirements—Commissioner's standardized report.

RCW 48.43.0161
Prior authorization practices—Carrier annual reporting requirements—Commissioner's standardized report.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, by October 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, for individual and group health plans issued by a carrier that has written at least one percent of the total accident and health insurance premiums written by all companies authorized to offer accident and health insurance in Washington in the most recently available year, the carrier shall report to the commissioner the following aggregated and deidentified data related to the carrier's prior authorization practices and experience for the prior plan year:
(a) Lists of the ten inpatient medical or surgical codes:
(i) With the highest total number of prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code;
(ii) With the highest percentage of approved prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code; and
(iii) With the highest percentage of prior authorization requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved on appeal, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved for each code;
(b) Lists of the ten outpatient medical or surgical codes:
(i) With the highest total number of prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code;
(ii) With the highest percentage of approved prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code; and
(iii) With the highest percentage of prior authorization requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved on appeal, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved for each code;
(c) Lists of the ten inpatient mental health and substance use disorder service codes:
(i) With the highest total number of prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code;
(ii) With the highest percentage of approved prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code; [and]
(iii) With the highest percentage of prior authorization requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved on appeal, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved for each code;
(d) Lists of the ten outpatient mental health and substance use disorder service codes:
(i) With the highest total number of prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code;
(ii) With the highest percentage of approved prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code; [and]
(iii) With the highest percentage of prior authorization requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved on appeal, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved;
(e) Lists of the ten durable medical equipment codes:
(i) With the highest total number of prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code;
(ii) With the highest percentage of approved prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code; [and]
(iii) With the highest percentage of prior authorization requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved on appeal, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved for each code;
(f) Lists of the ten diabetes supplies and equipment codes:
(i) With the highest total number of prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code;
(ii) With the highest percentage of approved prior authorization requests during the previous plan year, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of approved requests for each code; [and]
(iii) With the highest percentage of prior authorization requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved on appeal, including the total number of prior authorization requests for each code and the percent of requests that were initially denied and then subsequently approved for each code;
(g) The average determination response time in hours for prior authorization requests to the carrier with respect to each code reported under (a) through (f) of this subsection for each of the following categories of prior authorization:
(i) Expedited decisions;
(ii) Standard decisions; and
(iii) Extenuating circumstances decisions.
(2) For the October 1, 2020, reporting deadline, a carrier is not required to report data pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(iii), (b)(iii), (c)(iii), (d)(iii), (e)(iii), or (f)(iii) of this section until April 1, 2021, if the commissioner determines that doing so constitutes a hardship.
(3) By January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall aggregate and deidentify the data collected under subsection (1) of this section into a standard report and may not identify the name of the carrier that submitted the data. The initial report due on January 1, 2021, may omit data for which a hardship determination is made by the commissioner under subsection (2) of this section. Such data must be included in the report due on January 1, 2022. The commissioner must make the report available to interested parties.
(4) The commissioner may request additional information from carriers reporting data under this section.
(5) The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this section. In adopting rules, the commissioner must consult stakeholders including carriers, health care practitioners, health care facilities, and patients.
(6) For the purpose of this section, "prior authorization" means a mandatory process that a carrier or its designated or contracted representative requires a provider or facility to follow before a service is delivered, to determine if a service is a benefit and meets the requirements for medical necessity, clinical appropriateness, level of care, or effectiveness in relation to the applicable plan, including any term used by a carrier or its designated or contracted representative to describe this process.

[ 2020 c 316 § 1.]

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