Prior authorization continues to be a significant burden for physicians and their patients despite recent promises by payers to cut down on PA requirements, according to the American Medical Association’s “2025 AMA Prior Authorization Physician Survey” released May 13.
The AMA’s survey collected responses from 1,000 practicing physicians across a range of specialties and practice settings throughout December 2025.
Here are 10 statistics demonstrating PA’s burden on physicians in 2026:
1. Ninety-three percent of physicians reported that PA can cause care delays at least some of the time.
2. Eighty-two percent reported that PA can at least sometimes lead to patients abandoning treatment plans. Notably, zero physicians in the survey said PA never caused treatment plan abandonment.
3. About 31% of physicians said that PA criteria are rarely or never evidence-based.
4. When it comes to clinical outcomes overall, 94% of physicians said that PA has a somewhat or significantly negative impact on patient clinical outcomes; 5% report no impact and only 1% report a positive impact.
5. More than 1 in 4 physicians report that PA has led to a serious adverse event for a patient in their care, with 23% reporting that it led to a patient’s hospitalization.
6. Some physicians have witnessed even more severe outcomes due to PA, with 18% reporting that PA led to a life-threatening event or required intervention to prevent permanent impairment or damage.
7. Another 8% said PA has led to a patient’s disability or permanent bodily damage, congenital anomaly/birth defect or death.
8. On average, physician practices complete 39 PAs per physician per week.
9. Physicians and their staff told the AMA that they spend 13 hours per week completing PAs.
10. Forty percent of physicians have staff who work exclusively on PA.
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