- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Step Therapy Requirements Are Worsening, Says Dr James Howard
Myasthenia gravis expert James F. Howard, Jr, MD, professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explains the burdens that step therapy places on patients with rare diseases and their providers.
James F. Howard, Jr, MD, professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, former chief of the Neuromuscular Disorders Division, and former James F. Howard Distinguished Professor of Neuromuscular Disease, explains the step therapy burdens faced by patients with myasthenia gravis, as well as their providers.
Transcript
How are patients with rare diseases like myasthenia gravis affected by step therapy and prior authorization, and do you see this getting better or worse?
The burdens that are placed on to us by our payers through prior authorizations, etc, are overly burdensome. It consumes time—not only the physician, but of the staff—to complete paperwork, to spend countless amounts of time on telephone calls that totally detracts from our ability to provide top-level care to the individual patient themselves. I foresee this, unless there's a change in culture, in our legislature, I see this becoming progressively worse. And it has been over my career.
Impact of Amivantamab-Lazertinib on EGFR, MET Resistance Alterations in NSCLC: Danny Nguyen, MD
September 15th 2025The combination of amivantamab and lazertinib in first-line non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) significantly reduces resistance mechanisms with implications for second-line treatment, said Danny Nguyen, MD, of City of Hope.
Read More
Infertility Coverage Boosts ART Use and Pregnancy Success: Richard A. Brook, MS, MBA
August 26th 2025In this episode, Richard A. Brook, MS, MBA, discusses his study showing that infertility treatment coverage increases assisted reproductive technology (ART) use and improves pregnancy outcomes.
Listen
