The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a rule intended to bring prior authorization into a faster, more transparent workflow. CMS would require insurers to respond within 24 hours for urgent requests and 72 hours for standard requests, and would require disclosure of claim denials and appeals outcomes. For biotech and pharmaceutical stakeholders supporting reimbursement and real-world prescribing, shorter prior authorization cycles can directly affect time-to-treatment and patient access—particularly for high-cost specialty drugs—while increasing operational requirements for payer and provider systems.