Washington state hospitals say their Medicare patients are waiting two to four times longer in some cases for procedures that are now subject to prior authorization under a new Medicare program.  The report from Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is among the first to document alleged patient harm stemming from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ new Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction, or WISeR, Model.
Cantwell is one of several Democratic members of Congress who have been urging CMS to scrap the program, which launched Jan. 1.  Cantwell aired her concerns about WISeR to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. at a Senate Committee on Finance hearing Wednesday.
She said CMS is using artificial intelligence as a “denial device” and that patients are waiting weeks to get sign off for services that previously didn’t require approval.  Continue to STAT+ to read the full story...
STAT News published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 22 Apr 2026.
The item focuses on STAT+: Federal test of AI prior authorization is delaying care for seniors, report says.
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