Amar Rewari: How Are Prior Authorizations Affecting Oncology Care?

Amar Rewari, Chief of Radiation Oncology at Luminis Health, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“I was honored to be interviewed by The Independent to discuss how Prior Authorization (PA) delays are impacting my patients and straining oncology practices across the country.

The stories in this investigation are heartbreaking. For patients facing aggressive disease, insurance red tape isn’t just frustrating — it can change outcomes.

Thank you as well to AOL for amplifying this important reporting.

AOL article.

What Prior Authorization is supposed to do — and what actually happens
PA is a Utilization Management tool meant to control costs by requiring approval before certain care is delivered.
But when it stands between a patient and timely cancer treatment, it becomes a barrier to care — and sometimes a dangerous one.

Key data the article highlights

• 7% of physicians report that PA led or contributed to the death of a cancer patient (2024 ASTRO survey)
• 79% of physicians say PA leads some patients to abandon recommended treatment (AMA)
• Many clinics — including mine — must hire additional staff solely to manage the administrative “mountain” of PA requests

What I shared in the interview

• “If I order a PET scan or MRI, insurers often push back and sometimes deny them — which creates enormous stress for patients.”
• “Any delay risks worse outcomes — lower likelihood of cure and reduced effectiveness of treatment.”
• “Many delays are intentional. Insurers know physicians are busy and may not have time to appeal every denial.”

And it doesn’t end there

• The article also describes back-end denials — when care is approved up front but denied after it has already been delivered.
• This affects 15% of claims that initially received PA approval.
• This is a broken system that wastes time, elevates stress, and puts patient outcomes at risk.

We dug deeper into this on the Value Health Voices Podcast
We dedicated Episode 3 of Value Health Voices to PA reform and what needs to change to protect patients.

Reform isn’t optional — it’s urgent.”

More posts featuring Amar Rewari.