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
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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
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