In February, the URAC Board approved development of a new accreditation addressing home infusion therapy. The program is an important step for URAC as we build on our success with specialty pharmacy accreditation. Many URAC accredited specialty pharmacies operate as home infusion pharmacies and handle infusible drugs. We believe that our existing and potential specialty pharmacy clients will seek this new accreditation because it is tied to an upcoming Medicare bundled payment for HIT services that begins in 2021. And, for the first time, as a result of the 21^st Century Cures Act, Medicare will allow pharmacists to be reimbursed for professional services provided as part of a home infusion therapy. Our standards emphasize the role of the pharmacist in leading the team.

We have actually been working on the standards for some time in order to get ahead of the curve. Product Development is working collaboratively with two of URAC’s pharmacy reviewers who have professional experience in home infusion therapy.  Their insights  provide invaluable content to the draft program standards.  We will have a draft ready for 3 weeks of public comment starting March 11^th. And we are very pleased to have identified about a dozen industry experts in this field who have agreed to do an in-depth review of the draft standards before we finalize them. These experts are spread across the country and represent home infusion therapy providers such as Amber Pharmacy, Kabafusion, Nufactor Home Infusion, OptumRx, Option Care, and Paragon Healthcare. It is by means such as these that we assure both strength and validity in our new standards.

This accreditation covers drug and nutrition therapy provided to patients in non-hospital settings, including patients’ homes and outpatient ambulatory infusion centers. “Ambulatory Infusion Centers” are growing because services cost less in an outpatient setting than in a hospital; and patients on long-term therapy like the convenience of being safely treated at home. The standards address the storage, handling, distribution, administration, ongoing monitoring and important consumer safety protections associated with infusible therapies consistent with CMS and industry best practice. Our goal is to launch this program for sale by the end of April.

Please stay tuned for more information that accompanies URAC’s new program rollout including standards at a glance, program standards, accreditation guide, staff training, and Frequently Asked Questions.