As you heard at the February all staff meeting, URAC’s Board of Directors has given approval to proceed with the development of a Genetics/Precision Medicine (GPM) specialty network accreditation.

The development of this program is stimulated by many of the same drivers as other URAC programs: significant advancements in the last decade, significant interest and investment from providers and purchasers, and other special interest such as clinical laboratories, diagnostic companies, and emerging and large biotech/pharma.  The exploration of the human genome has forever changed the face of medicine.  A paradigm shift is underway that has important implications across the board—for patients, providers, industry, insurers, and regulatory agencies. The implications that these developments have on each of the key stakeholders and communities of interest make this an appropriate time for URAC to develop this accreditation as part of its specialty network development portfolio.

We are in a unique position to build upon our 26-year history of accreditation, development of standards, identification of measures, and convening diverse health care stakeholders. We will apply our historical strengths to address the care of the future.  The GPM specialty network accreditation will address some of the complexities and issues resulting from the rapidly evolving nature of GPM, current business concerns, and policy and regulatory issues. And it will strengthen URAC’s position as an innovative leader in the field of healthcare accreditation.

We will be keeping you up to date as the excitement (and the program) builds.