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3 easy steps to begin your URAC accreditation
Overview
Organizations that conduct Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) provide an impartial expert opinion of medical necessity and appropriateness of treatment decisions for different types of workers’ compensation, disability or liability cases.
URAC’s IME Accreditation provides a roadmap to ensure you go beyond regulatory compliance requirements when developing your IME program. Given that consumers often have low confidence in the medical examination process, it also gives patients and purchasers the utmost peace of mind that your examiners are highly qualified and knowledgeable in their field, are free from conflict of interest and most importantly, committed to fair, timely and ethical care practices.
Benefits of Accreditation
Accreditation demonstrates you have undergone a rigorous external review of your IME program components, ensuring clients they will receive accurate, trustworthy and timely decisions backed by comprehensive, evidence-based review. With URAC IME Accreditation, you provide value to patients, injured workers as well as your contracted partners including insurance carriers, self-insured employers and third-party administrators through:
- Third-party validation that your high-quality program offers a truly independent, fair, unbiased opinion that does not tip the scale toward the patient nor payer, eliminating potential conflicts of interest
- Thorough policies, procedures and documentation that reduce the administrative burdens of claims or disability disputes
- The ability to help control medical costs and, for employers, potential lost productivity
- Risk management oversight and review protocols that reduce client liabilities, enhance data security and ensure regulatory compliance
- A blueprint for ongoing operational efficiency and program improvement
What to Expect
Within six months or less, we will collaborate with your team to create a flexible framework for continuous improvement. While our panels of experts define the standards of excellence, they do not prescribe how organizations must meet those standards. URAC’s thorough approach stimulates innovation across the continuum of care through email, conference calls and educational webinars.
Review our Independent Medical Examination Standards-at-a-Glance for more information.
Who May Apply
URAC’s three-year IME Accreditation is intended for organizations that focus exclusively on the performance of independent medical examinations and record reviews, which are predominantly conducted for workers’ compensation cases.
Independent Review Organizations (IROs) that provide IME services may also seek URAC recognition through the IRO Accreditation program.