URAC Introduces New Pharmacy Benefit Management Accreditation for Workers' Compensation and Property and Casualt...( WASHINGTON Oct. 28 -- URAC's Boa...),Health

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- URAC's Board of Directors has approved quality standards for a new accreditation program for Workers' Compensation and Property and Casualty Pharmacy Benefit Management. The program is the latest addition to URAC's Pharmacy Quality Management(R) suite of products.

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All standards within this suite of programs were developed by URAC's Pharmacy Accreditation Advisory Group, which includes a wide range of stakeholders: employers, consumers, pharmacy consultants, health plans, retail pharmacy, pharmacy benefits management organizations, pharmacy professional organizations, labor, and large public purchasing groups. The Advisory Group considered public comments from a wide range of stakeholders and input from beta testing sites before finalizing the standards. The new program was approved by URAC's Board of Directors Oct. 16, 2008.

"URAC's Workers' Compensation and Property and Casualty Pharmacy Benefit Management standards include industry definitions that create a level playing field, plus a solid framework for continuous quality improvement designed especially for this sector of the market," said John Jones, RPh, JD, senior vice president of professional practice and pharmacy policy at Prescription Solutions and chairman of URAC's Pharmacy Accreditation Advisory Group. "The new program supports high-quality organizations specializing in this arena as it gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to industry-recognized standards."

Nearly 15 percent of workers' compensation medical expenses are for prescription drugs.(1) The new standards combine core organizational quality standards within URAC's Pharmacy Quality Management suite with industry-specific standards tailored to address unique aspects of this market segment.

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