American Rheumatology Network (ARN) Announces Partnership with SamaCare to Scale Free Prior Authorization Solution

SUMMERVILLE, S.C., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- American Rheumatology Network, LLC (ARN), a trusted industry partner and group purchasing organization dedicated to supporting independent, community-based practices, announced today that they have partnered with SamaCare, a free prior authorization (PA) platform for physician-administered medications. This partnership will help promote the use of SamaCare among ARN's national network of over 460 community-based providers.

A key tenant for ARN is to empower community-based practices by providing innovative solutions to optimize patient access and outcomes. ARN's partnership with SamaCare will enable practices to access SamaCare's web-based platform for managing, submitting, and tracking prior authorizations for physician-administered medications across all payers and plans.

"For too many years, a leading issue confounding our community-based practices is the manual process of prior authorization," stated Michael Cooper, ARN's chief executive officer. "I have seen drastic improvement in time to treat for our collective patients from practices which utilize the SamaCare platform. As more of the ARN practices utilize this advantage – leveraging SamaCare's best in class technology – our patients will have greater access to care."

Prior authorization is a growing concern among rheumatology practices. A 2020 study by authors at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, found that prior authorizations for infusible medications for rheumatological conditions are initially denied in 21% of cases. The study also found that prior authorization requirements are associated with delays in patient care and with negative patient outcomes.

"SamaCare's mission is to help practices eliminate administrative barriers to providing superior care," said Syam Palakurthy, CEO and founder of SamaCare. "Growing research shows that prior authorization delays and denials have an adverse effect on both practices and patients. SamaCare's platform has been proven to reduce both delays and denials by unifying and automating prior authorization submission, tracking and follow-up across all payers and physician-administered drugs." 

SamaCare's solution has already been pressure-tested by leading rheumatology practices. Articularis Health Group, Inc. (AHG), the largest specialty rheumatology group in the nation, has seen impressive results by using SamaCare across their 23 partner practices. Within two months of using SamaCare, AHG saw an overall 50% reduction in staff time spent on submitting and tracking prior authorizations and a 56% reduction in payer turnaround time in reviewing and resolving prior authorizations. 

About SamaCare

SamaCare helps practices streamline prior authorizations for physician-administered medications, across payers, through a guided portal. SamaCare's dedicated team of experts works with specialty providers across the country to ensure patients receive timely access to care. SamaCare is available free to specialty practices that meet certain criteria thanks to partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers. For more information, visit https://www.samacare.com.

About American Rheumatology Network LLC

American Rheumatology Network (ARN) is a trusted industry partner and a national group purchasing organization dedicated to supporting independent, community-based rheumatology practices. Through its network, members have access to best business practices, innovative practice performance technology, and value-based treatment pathways. For more information, visit https://americanrheum.com/. 

ARN Media Contact:
Morgan Grubbs
Marketing and Business Development Manager
[email protected] 
https://americanrheum.com/ 

SamaCare Media Contact: 
Jillian Kushner
[email protected]
https://www.samacare.com/ 

SOURCE American Rheumatology Network