URAC’s New Pharmacy Standards
URAC has upgraded its Specialty Pharmacy and Mail Service Pharmacy Accreditation Programs from version 4.0 to version 5.0. The new standards are streamlined, eliminate some of the previous requirements and adds more requirements (and more rigor) in other areas.
Integral Healthcare Solutions’ Founder and CEO Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, sat down with IHS’s Chief Operating Officer and Senior Pharmacy Consultant, Jill Paslier, PharmD, CSP, FISMP, to discuss the differences between the old standards and the new ones. Each of the 8 short videos zeroes in on the differences in each of the 8 modules:
Risk Management
Operations and Infrastructure
Performance Monitoring and Improvement
Consumer Protection and Empowerment
Pharmacy Operations
Medication Distribution
Patient Service and Communication
Patient Management
Risk Management
This conversation focuses on regulatory compliance and information systems management, including risk assessments and business continuity. See the transcript here.
Operations and Infrastructure
This module covers such topics as policy management, delegation oversight, staff management, and the credentialing of clinical leadership. See the transcript here.
Performance Monitoring and Improvement
The PMI standards center on the quality management program and data collection and evaluation, including the QMC committee and the structure and assessment of the QM Plan. See the transcript here.
Consumer Protection and Empowerment
This conversation about the CPE module addresses HIPAA, consumer diversity/equity/inclusion, safety, complaints, health literacy, and consumer marketing and communications. See the transcript here.
Pharmacy Operations
This conversation about the P-OPS standards deals with the pharmacy’s scope of services, processing and dispensing of prescriptions, dispensing accuracy, adherence, and product management. See the transcript here.
Medication Distribution
The MD standards establish requirements for distribution management (including qualification testing, packing and shipping procedures, and auditing), shipping logistics, and distribution accuracy. See the transcript here.
Patient Management
The PM standards address such issues as structure, oversight, patient participation, patient rights and responsibilities, clinical assessments and interventions, patient education and support, care team collaboration, and program evaluation. See the transcript here.
Patient Service and Communication
The PSC standards address the provision of information and support services to patients, adverse events, complaints and satisfaction, and patient communications, both telephonic and non-telephonic. See the transcript here.