We received positive feedback on the March 1 and 2 workshops, from both in-person and live-streaming attendees. While I led the new Core v4.0 workshop on March 1 and the Case Management v6.0 workshop on March 2, Jennifer Richards and Tanya Bennett, two of our accreditation reviewers, led workshops covering several pharmacy and utilization management programs.

CVS/Caremark shared how much they appreciated Jennifer’s thorough, insightful approach to presenting the standards. Many attendees complimented Tanya’s ability to address the intent of the standards and respond to challenging questions. The live-streaming audience, which made up 40 percent of all attendees, commended URAC on the quality of the workshops as well. These remote participants facilitated the learning of all attendees by sending in their questions live during the workshops. These questions were read and answered aloud by facilitators. As a result, many reported having an improved understanding of the standards’ changes, new requirements, as well as how to demonstrate compliance.

The Core and Case Management workshops acted as intensive, focused training on the major changes to the standards. Case Management workshop attendees were pleased to discover that the Case Management standards applied to all types of case management programs, regardless of setting. New Case Management standards elaborate on the role of case management support staff and emphasize the need for care coordination across the care continuum.

The Core workshop highlighted new requirements in the revised version surrounding healthcare ethics, business ethics, and delegation. The revised delegation requirements emphasizing the need for ongoing oversight of contractors were well received. Donna noted that a URAC-accredited contractor is much easier to use, as the only form of oversight required is receipt of proof of URAC accreditation and a requirement that the contractor reports a change in accreditation status.

The success of these March workshops, credited to excellent work by the facilitators and highly engaging discussion with the attendees, foreshadows great success in future workshops as well.