The Basics

This standard requires, very simply, that your organization have a written agreement with every participating pharmacy in its various networks.  Of course, it may be that many of the pharmacies in your network are contracting with your organization through a single contract with an entire chain of pharmacies or a pharmacy services administrative organization.  That is a perfectly appropriate arrangement.  The key is, every pharmacy has to be bound, somehow, by contract to your organization.  The chances are that your organization has a basic template agreement that many, if not most, of your pharmacies have signed.

Management Tips

This is one of those standards for which you need both a policy and procedure and evidence that you have implemented the policy and procedure, in this case, one or more template pharmacy agreements.  The policy and procedure should go beyond a mere requirement that all pharmacies have a contractual relationship with your organization, but also should include mechanisms by which you can assure that no pharmacy is listed in your pharmacy provider directory unless a contract has been executed.

URAC Accreditation Tips

This is a mandatory standard.

The initial documentary submission should be little more than your contracting policy and procedure plus any current templates for individual or chain pharmacy agreements.

The on-site review, in addition to the network-management interview, will involve an examination of selected provider contracts.  The reviewer will ask for a pharmacy provider directory, select at least 30 pharmacies from that directory, and ask you to produce a contract for each one.