Management Tips

A sticking point for many applicants, delegation contracts require more attention than most aspects of a URAC accreditation application. 

A few things to remember:

• If your delegate is URAC-accredited, this is the only standard that applies to that delegation relationship.
• Subsection (b) is explicit about the agreement requiring that the delegate comply with URAC standards. A clause requiring the delegate to comply with your organization's standards (which, of course, comply with URAC standards) is not enough. Similarly, a clause requiring that the delegate comply with another accreditor's standards (e.g., NCQA) is not enough. 
• Subsection (c) is another tricky one. Put simply, your contract must have a clause which confers an affirmative obligation on your delegate to let you know when circumstances have changed such that it can no longer perform the functions it's supposed to perform under the agreement. This is separate from the reporting obligation under subsection (e). Be explicit about this requirement on your delegate.
• Subsections (g) and (h) are distinct requirements. Restated, (g) requires that your agreement describes what the delegate must do in order to subdelegate (e.g., get your permission in writing). If your agreement prohibits subdelegation, that will suffice. Subsection (h) is applicable only if subdelegation is permitted, and requires that your delegation agreement require that any subdelegation arrangement be subject not only to your organizational requirements but also to URAC's (or "applicable accreditation requirements").