Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) Announces Updated Telehealth Accreditation Standards

“As a physician, I can say that we are proud to work with national telehealth leaders in updating our standards to drive digital health into the future,” said Shawn Griffin, M.D., URAC’s President and CEO. “These standards are more than simply policy recommendations or new measures; they reflect the best comprehensive building blocks for high-quality organizations to put patients at the center of quality care. URAC recognizes that millions of remote patient visits have been provided by our accredited organizations during the pandemic and know that updating our standards will improve the care delivered today and in the future. The URAC Gold Star on a telehealth program means quality and not just convenience.”

URAC’s updated Telehealth Accreditation Program keeps the patient at the center. URAC’s aim is to ensure that patient care offered through a telehealth visit meets the same standards as that provided during an in-person visit. URAC’s telehealth accreditation program demonstrates how providers can care for patients from a distance, including patients who may struggle to access care due to financial, transportation, or familial issues. An organization receiving URAC’s Gold Star for telehealth has proven that it delivers the best in patient care for both physical and behavioral health needs. Whether being seen in person or by a virtual visit, patients can have confidence they are receiving is the highest quality care when their telehealth provider is URAC accredited. As the nation’s largest telehealth accreditor, URAC has improved the remote care received by millions of Americans during the COVID pandemic.

Teladoc Health is both an accredited organization and a member of URAC’s Telehealth Standards Advisory Committee. “Here at Teladoc Health, we have just recently acquired InTouch Health, and because of that, we now have all three of URAC’s Telehealth Accreditation Programs under our belt,” said Emily Woodard, Associate Director of Clinical Quality at Teladoc Health. “I can’t overstate how valuable the URAC accreditation is – it has helped us scale up to meet the increased need for digital health coverage during the pandemic and will guide our growth once COVID is over. Teladoc is proud of our active role in URAC’s TAP standards update.”

Based on the overwhelming interest in its telehealth accreditation program, URAC continues to grow the digital health recognition and accreditation landscape through its additional programs, Remote Patient Monitoring and Telehealth Support Services. Additionally, URAC just became a member of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), with official World Health Organization support, whose goal it is to grow high-quality telehealth services worldwide.