URAC Board Approves Two New Accreditation Programs for Pharmacy Quality Management(SM)

URAC Board Approves Two New Accreditation Programs for Pharmacy Quality
Management(SM)

Standards for Specialty Pharmacy and Mail Service Pharmacy expand URAC's
Pharmacy Quality Management(SM) Initiative

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- URAC's Board of Directors has
approved accreditation standards for two new Pharmacy Quality Management(SM)
programs, the Specialty Pharmacy and Mail Service Pharmacy accreditation
programs. A third new program, Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) for Workers
Compensation and Property and Casualty, will become available later in 2008.

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The new programs follow URAC's groundbreaking Pharmacy Benefit Management
Accreditation standards released in July 2007. URAC offers the only
third-party, voluntary accreditation program of this scope for the pharmacy
benefit management and prescription services industries. All standards were
developed by URAC's Pharmacy Advisory Committee, which includes a wide range
of stakeholders: employers, consumers, pharmacy consultants, health plans,
retail pharmacy, pharmacy benefit management organizations, pharmacy
professional organizations, labor, and large public purchasing groups. The
committee considered public comments on its initial set of standards and
reviewed the results of beta testing at 13 sites before submitting final
program standards to URAC's Board.

"These new accreditation programs are the next step in a comprehensive
strategy to create standards that address the broad scope of pharmacy quality
management practice," said John Jones, RPh, JD, senior vice president of
professional practice and pharmacy policy at Prescription Solutions and
chairman of URAC's Pharmacy Benefits Management Advisory Committee.
"Organizations that specialize in these market segments will now have an
opportunity to align their practices with industry-recognized standards and
demonstrate their commitment to quality."

The Specialty Pharmacy and Mail Service Pharmacy accreditations are designed
for organizations involved in the hands-on delivery of these pharmacy
services. Specialty pharmacy organizations offer a high touch, comprehensive
care system for the distribution and administration of costly pharmaceuticals.
These organizations provide the personalized, expert therapy management and
support needed by patients with chronic illnesses and complex disease states.
There are more than 140 million specialty pharmacy prescriptions filled per
year, according to 2006 numbers.(1)

Over the past decade, mail service pharmacies have represented the fastest
growing distribution channel for prescription drugs. Mail service pharmacy is
generally used by those who require maintenance medications for chronic
conditions and prefer to receive these medications in supplies lasting longer
than 30 days.

"These accreditation programs extend URAC's emphasis on quality improvement
and consumer protection that is central to our well-received Pharmacy Benefit
Management program," said Alan P. Spielman, URAC's president and chief
executive officer. "URAC developed the Specialty Pharmacy and Mail Service
Pharmacy accreditation programs to provide a national framework to evaluate
the quality of the important services provided by these organizations."

URAC's standards development process seeks the broadest possible input to
ensure accreditation programs are meaningful to all stakeholders -- consumers,
purchasers, providers, regulators and the industry.

"The comprehensiveness of URAC's suite of pharmacy quality management
accreditation products is useful to employers who support value-based
purchasing," said Dawn Geren, healthcare manager for UPS and a member of
URAC's Pharmacy Benefit Management Advisory Committee. "These new extender
programs allow purchasers to compare quality across the diverse array of
organizations that offer pharmacy benefit management and prescription
services."

About URAC
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in
promoting health care quality through its accreditation and education
programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and
services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and
provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment
to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure
and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all
stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for
the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

1. Atlantic Information Services, "Specialty Pharmacy: Stakeholders,
Strategies, and Markets," 3rd Edition, 2007.

CONTACT: Karla Hurter
Phone: (703) 319-0957
khurter@health2resources.com

SOURCE URAC

Karla Hurter, +1-703-319-0957, khurter@health2resources.com, for URAC