Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Maintaining Compliance between Accreditation Cycles: The 1 Question You Need to Ask




Are you maintaining compliance with URAC's monitoring and reporting requirements in between Accreditation Cycles? Did you know that URAC could do a compliance visit with only 5-7 days notice? For this series about ongoing compliance, I will be asking some questions that will help you identify areas for improvement.
Just between you and I, we know that things fall through the cracks after all the hard work has been completed and you receive the Seal of URAC Accreditation.
First, give yourself a pat on the back. You did it! Your organization achieved URAC Accreditation and you have that beautiful Seal of Accreditation on your website and marketing materials. The contracts are rolling in and business is good. This is also when things can start to fall off the radar.
Maintaining ongoing compliance with URAC Standards is one of the biggest barriers organizations face after accreditation.
Staff focus on more immediate concerns, the work plan doesn't get utilized, meetings fail to occur and compliance slowly becomes a thing of the past--just something you had to do to get accredited. But the last thing you want is for URAC to discover compliance has gone by the wayside at your organization.
This is where I can help you get back on track. My goal is to help you identify the gaps and correct the issue before URAC comes for the onsite/virtual review.
If you know your organization’s been letting things fall through the cracks, don’t panic! It’s not too late. At Arete Healthcare Solutions, I’ll help you prepare for a successful accreditation by:
  1. Identifying the gaps
  2. Developing a corrective action plan
  3. Planning immediate implementation
  4. Developing a work plan to maintain ongoing compliance
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be asking questions and providing as a bonus tips and tools to help you achieve your goals--and be ready for URAC’s compliance visits at the drop of a hat.
For the purpose of this series, I am going to focus on each of the Core 3.0 Standards-- which all organizations are currently accredited under. Once the Core 4.0 Standards are released I will help you to identify the changes and provide tips and tools to make any updates in order to maintain compliance for the new standards.
So, my first question is:
1) Do you know who in your organization is responsible for ongoing compliance with URAC Standards?
I’m asking this question because identifying how compliance with URAC requirements is monitored and maintained is a critical element in identifying what processes are currently in place. This is an important first step in alerting an organization to a possible gap in compliance.
First, look for processes that are being done well and build on those. Second, if there is not a specific person or department accountable for monitoring ongoing compliance, I will provide you with some tips and tools as a guide. Often the Quality Management Department is responsible for monitoring ongoing compliance through ongoing monitoring, measurements/metrics and reporting.
At Arete Healthcare Solutions, we work closely you and your team to ensure the URAC standards are working for your particular organization’s culture and processes.
Would you like more tools for maintaining compliance before your URAC reaccreditation? With a 100% accreditation success rate and over 25 years’ experience in the healthcare industry, Arete Healthcare Solutions can prepare your organization for compliance reviews with gap analysis, documentation development, and more. Visit our website or give us a call to learn more about what we can do for your organization.


Call: 951-970-2573


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