As discussed at February’s All Staff Meeting, the Product Development Team, in collaboration with the Executive Team, has been actively repositioning URAC’s Core 4.0 stand-alone accreditation program to an Organizational Management Certification program.

The Organizational Management Certification program, which will launch March 15, provides a rigorous validation of an organization’s capabilities in key organizational management functions that are important for any healthcare organization. Results can be used to review and confirm operational soundness, set priorities, drive organizational improvements, and build stronger processes. 

Organizations that seek this elective validation demonstrate their commitment to management principles found in successful healthcare organizations. The Certification program is focused on four areas: Risk Management, Consumer Protection and Empowerment, Operations and Infrastructure, and Performance Management.  You will recall that there is no delegation in the certification program. 

You may be asking yourself, ‘why now and what precipitated the decision to move from an accreditation program to an Organizational Management Certification program?’  As the Product Development Staff reviewed the substantial changes made to the Core accreditation program, we recognized that there are broad sectors of the healthcare industry where URAC does not have an accreditation or certification program (e.g., physical therapy, medical transportation). These types of organizations as well as new market entrants are increasingly seeking an elective, external validation that demonstrates to their stakeholders that the organization is committed to high performance and applies quality management principles in their daily operations.

The Organizational Management Certification program has strict eligibility criteria.  Not all organizations are eligible.  They must be a legal entity incorporated in the United States or its territories in good standing, operating in the healthcare industry or serving healthcare organizations, not eligible for or operating within the functional areas of URAC’s accreditation programs and the organization has not previously applied for URAC accreditation.

We’ve developed this certification program for businesses that do not qualify for URAC’s accreditation programs. Validating the operational elements of these organizations supports our mission to advance the quality of healthcare while driving topline growth for URAC.