Two additional sets of standards in URAC’s Pharmacy Quality Management® (PQM) suite are the Mail Service Pharmacy and Specialty Pharmacy accreditation standards.
     Over the past 10 years, Mail Service Pharmacy has represented the fastest growing distribution channel for prescription drugs. Mail Service Pharmacy is being used more and more by individuals who need maintenance medications for chronic conditions and prefer to get more than a 30-day supply of medications with the added convenience of direct delivery to their home, and of ordering by phone, mail, online or fax from their physician’s office.
     The Specialty Pharmacy market is relatively new and growing fast. Specialty Pharmacy is a key mail distribution channel for specialized, often highly engineered pharmaceuticals for individuals with complex, chronic illnesses and conditions. Specialty Pharmacy provides expert therapy management and support tailored to a patients’ individual needs.
     Mail Service Pharmacy and Specialty Pharmacy accreditation provides:

• External validation of excellence in Mail Service Pharmacy and Specialty Pharmacy management.
• Key benchmarks in quality of service and care.
• Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) oriented processes that improve operations and enhance compliance.
• Improvement in evaluation, consistency and understanding of provider services among health care stakeholders.

Accreditation establishes organizational excellence and provides a distinct seal of approval for any organization involved in Mail Service Pharmacy or Specialty Pharmacy. URAC’s Mail Service and Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation Standards promote core organizational excellence and a focus on patient safety and quality improvement. Mail Service and Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation Programs were added to URAC’s Pharmacy Quality Management® suite in December 2008. Similar to URAC’s other pharmacy programs; Mail Service and Specialty Pharmacy use a modular design.

Module 1: CORE, is the foundation of all of URAC’s
accreditation products and addresses key organizational

functions important for any health care organization or business. Core Organizational Standards include specific benchmarks for: organization structure, policies and procedures, delegation, regulatory compliance, information management, communication practices, confidentiality; staff qualifications, credentialing, and training; consumer safety, satisfaction, complaints and appeals; quality management program and quality improvement projects.

Module 2: Customer Service, Communications and
Disclosure Standards address the following key areas:

• Consumer information requirements and communication practices and safeguards

• Health literacy and cultural sensitivity communication requirements
• Telephonic access, availability, services and operations
• Disclosure to clients of financial information, potential conflicts of interest, and any subcontracting/ delegation to other organizations

Module 3: Drug Management Standards address:

• Systematic pharmaceutical care provided to support the distribution and use of prescription products

• Mechanisms for prospective, concurrent and retrospective drug management
• Consumer safety process requirements