A new survey from Surescripts, the top health intelligence network in the country, shows that many doctors and pharmacists are feeling frustrated with the process of prior authorization. Many say this extra paperwork slows down treatment and in some cases has even made patients stop their care. However, most are hopeful that using real-time technology can help make this process smoother.

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“Prescribers and pharmacists keep dealing with admin tasks like prior authorizations,” said Frank Harvey, CEO of Surescripts. “They are very worried about how the usual prior authorization process works, which is really worrying because they say it can hurt patients, delay treatment, or even make patients stop their care altogether. It’s encouraging to see that even with these issues, most clinicians are ready to use real-time tech solutions to make the prior authorization process faster and ensure patients get the care they need, when they need it. At Surescripts, we are committed to bringing healthcare providers together to make smarter decisions and keep patient care moving forward.”

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Surescripts also shared some statistics on how prior authorization affects both healthcare workers and patients. According to the findings, 94 percent of pharmacists and prescribers said the process leads to burnout. Over half of prescribers said delays or rejections from prior authorization were a big daily problem, while one in five said related tasks were their biggest challenge. Pharmacists faced similar difficulties—81 percent said it was hard to get timely responses from prescribers. On the patient side, 87 percent of pharmacists and 89 percent of prescribers agreed that prior authorizations hurt health outcomes. Also, 88 percent of pharmacists and 70 percent of prescribers said the process often delays treatment. Nearly half of prescribers and four out of ten pharmacists said prior authorization frequently causes patients to stop their necessary treatments.

On the positive side, doctors welcomed tech solutions. About 94 percent said real-time, electronic prior authorization at the point of care would be helpful, and 91 percent were willing to use such solutions. Also, 92 percent agreed that electronically processing prior authorizations—whether automatically or through an EHR system—would improve how patients interact with their care.

Surescripts did this survey in partnership with APCO Insight between May 28 and June 16, 2025, and collected responses from 503 clinicians, including doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists.

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