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Surescripts
Research suggests that many U.S. patients are not satisfied with their healthcare experience. Last year, Americans’ view of U.S. healthcare quality reached a 24-year low according to one survey, with more than half saying that it has major problems.
Challenges around medication access, affordability and prior authorization are likely major factors. Another 2024 survey found that 45% of Americans could not readily access and afford prescribed medicines. And in 2023, 6 in 10 U.S. adults said they experienced problems using their insurance. In particular, patients who experienced prior authorization issues were also likelier to encounter problems accessing and paying for treatments, as well as worsening health.
How are care teams responding to these discouraging patient experience trends? What opportunities do they see to improve patient satisfaction? To find out, we surveyed 503 pharmacists and prescribers (including physicians as well as physician assistants and nurse practitioners).
Patient experience is top of mind but hard to control
Above all, our survey showed that clinicians deeply value the patient experience, which more than 9 in 10 respondents called very or extremely important.
However, many feel it’s largely out of their control: 39% of pharmacists and 44% of prescribers said they do not have much ability to impact the patient experience.
Cost and coverage barriers derail the prescription experience
What’s affecting clinicians’ ability to influence the patient experience? Several barriers pop up at the point of prescribing.
Of course, if cost and coverage will pose problems for a patient, it’s much better to know about these obstacles up front. Nearly all prescribers (93%) say out-of-pocket costs are a moderate or major factor in their prescribing decisions. However, most find it hard to understand the costs patients will pay and the programs available to help them.
Prescription process issues delay treatment and threaten outcomes
Without cost and coverage intelligence, rework, delays and frustration are the norm: 87% of prescribers say patients very or somewhat often ask to delay or change prescriptions due to out-of-pocket costs, and 85% say the same about insurance coverage issues.
However, these aren’t the only problems that can delay treatment. Other major stumbling blocks include obtaining prior authorization and managing communications between prescribers, pharmacists and benefit plans. Three in 10 respondents said they lack the staff needed to manage these complex processes and help patients start therapy sooner.
In the most extreme cases, care teams have seen the medication prior authorization process harm not just patients’ experience, but their health.
Technology could support more satisfying patient interactions
Clearly, care teams are very concerned about the impact of prescription issues on the patient experience. So it’s no surprise that when we asked what tools would be most helpful in patient interactions, technologies designed to deliver cost and coverage insights, accelerate the prior authorization process and stay coordinated across the care team all drew widespread support.
Fortunately, many tools with these capabilities are gaining traction already:
- When prescription changes are needed, the RxChange and CancelRx E-Prescribing transactions make it easy for prescribers and pharmacists to align and move forward within their workflow.
- Eligibility helps both prescribers and pharmacists quickly determine a patient’s benefit plan coverage.
- Touchless Prior Authorization matches clinical data with determination criteria at the time of prescribing to reach a clinically appropriate decision as quickly as possible—streamlining and often removing manual work from the process.
- Real-Time Prescription Benefit sends cost and coverage information directly from the prescription benefit plan to prescribers and pharmacists.
- For patients taking costly and complex specialty medications, Electronic Benefit Verification helps patient assistance programs verify pharmacy benefit coverage and out-of-pocket costs.
From here, there is much more we can do to empower care teams and patients with relevant prescription insights. There are still more processes we can transform to help patients start treatment faster and stay on track throughout the care journey. This survey suggests that U.S. clinicians are eager to adopt innovative ways to improve patient experience and deliver better care.
Surescripts partnered with APCO Insight to conduct an online survey of 250 pharmacists and 253 prescribers between May 28 and June 16, 2025.
Pharmacist requirements:
- Current role as a pharmacist at a retail pharmacy, hospital or health system
- 2–30 years of experience
- 25+ prescriptions filled each week
Prescriber requirements:
- Current role as a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner
- At least 50% of work time spent on patient care
- One or more prescriptions written each week
Recommended citation: Surescripts, “Care Teams Seek Tools to Improve the Patient Experience,” September 2025.