URAC Expands its Telehealth Accreditation Portfolio With RPM Track

The nation’s primary accreditation body for telehealth programs is adding remote patient monitoring to the roster.

The Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) announced this week that it will be assessing healthcare providers for their RPM services after noting a surge in programs and interest as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The nature of COVID-19 requires providers to adopt new strategies and technologies to ensure patients have access to the care they require,” Shawn Griffin, MD, the Washington DC-based organization’s president and CEO, said in a press release. “URAC’s Telehealth and RPM Accreditations will validate those organizations committed to ensuring quality care is delivered to patients during our current crisis and into the future.”

Though it’s been around long before COVID-19, RPM has been thrust into the spotlight lately as providers look to monitor and care for patients in their homes, reducing traffic to hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices and giving them more of an opportunity to track care management and coordination on a daily basis. The platform has been used to help patients manage chronic conditions, as well as those discharged from the hospital and requiring rehabilitation or other care management. It’s also seen as an important tool in improving health and wellness.

URAC officials noted that RPM typically exists separate from telehealth or mHealth programs, combining patient monitoring and collaboration between patient and provider on data collection and use.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has also taken notice, offering some limited Medicare reimbursements over the past few years as providers prove the value of the platform in reducing hospitalizations and readmissions and improving clinical outcomes.

URAC officials said the accreditation process for RPM programs will address quality standards for clinical guidelines and oversight; hardware and software functionality; credentialing; data privacy and security; and patient consent and disclosure.

Earlier this year, URAC announced the acquisition of telehealth, RPM and mental health and substance abuse disorder parity accreditation programs developed by the ClearHealth Quality Institute (CHQI), which had designed those services in a partnership with the American Telemedicine Association. The deal effectively made URAC the most prominent accreditation body for connected health programs.

“The acquisition of CHQI's programs expands URAC’s portfolio of accreditation programs to address two areas that are critical to the future of America’s delivery system: the use of technology and access to behavioral health services,” Griffin said at the time, noting URAC has been in the industry for roughly three decades.