The Basics

This standard adds to the requirements of the previous two standards regarding consumer education by imposing specific requirements regarding customization of education materials.  First, those materials must:

• be distributed to the target population of the program;
• be provided to consumers through multiple formats;
• address cultural differences;
• provide relevant health information throughout the consumer's participation in the DTM program.

In addition, the program must:

• keep good records about the educational materials that are distributed to consumers and
• document the annual review and update of educational materials.

Management Tips

What this standard adds to the previous standards is, first, the requirement that all your consumers must get some sort of educational materials that meet their specific needs.  In addition, your program documentation must be clear that distribution of educational materials will occur throughout the duration of the consumer's participation.

The review and updating of educational materials is probably best handled through a standing quality management committee or a standing consumer materials review committee.  Make sure this process is interdepartmental and has the appropriate clinical input to assure document accuracy and relevance.

In the event that your organization has no authority over educational materials provided by a client to its employees, your documentation should be clear about this situation.

URAC Accreditation Tips

Most of the elements of this standard are weighted 4, with one element being mandatory.

For the desktop review phase, submit not only your policy and procedure describing the elements of the standard, but also logs that track distribution of educational materials to be dispensed in the DTM program.

The on-site reviewer will examine your materials and distribution logs during his/her review.