Skip to content
URAC
  • Accreditations & Certifications
    • General Information
      • Accreditation Process
      • Accreditation Standards
      • Accreditation FAQs
      • Directory
    • Accreditation & Certification Programs
      • Pharmacy
      • Health Plan
      • Digital/Telehealth
      • Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder Parity
      • Patient Care Management
      • Administrative Management
      • View All Accreditations/Certifications
  • Outcomes & Measures
    • About Measures
    • Measurement Process and Reporting
    • Measurement FAQs
    • Performance Measurement Results
  • About URAC
    • History
    • Mission
    • Executive Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Committee/Council Membership
    • Careers
  • News
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • On-Demand Events
  • Contact
    • Directory
    • Submit an Interpretations Inquiry
    • File a Grievance
  • URAC International
  • Contact
    • Submit an Interpretations Inquiry
    • File a Grievance
  • Client Portal
URAC
  • Accreditations & Certifications
    • General Information
      • Accreditation Process
      • Accreditation Standards
      • Accreditation FAQs
      • Directory
    • Accreditation & Certification Programs
      • Pharmacy
      • Health Plan
      • Digital/Telehealth
      • Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder Parity
      • Patient Care Management
      • Administrative Management
      • View All Accreditations/Certifications
  • Outcomes & Measures
    • About Measures
    • Measurement Process and Reporting
    • Measurement FAQs
    • Performance Measurement Results
  • About URAC
    • History
    • Mission
    • Executive Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Committee/Council Membership
    • Careers
  • News
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • On-Demand Events
  • Contact
    • Directory
    • Submit an Interpretations Inquiry
    • File a Grievance
December 10, 2020

Cold Chain Medication Management

URAC’s Heather Bonome, Director of Pharmacy and Jennifer Richards, Product Development Principal discuss URAC’s approach to cold chain, as well as overall temperature management

Posted in Pharmacy

URAC’s Heather Bonome, Director of Pharmacy and Jennifer Richards, Product Development Principal discuss URAC’s approach to cold chain, as well as overall temperature management, standards, which were developed with industry leaders, URAC-accredited pharmacies and other advisors with specific expertise in temperature management.

The new year sparks hope that breakthrough COVID-19 vaccines will slow the worldwide pandemic. However, the logistics of distribution will present some daunting challenges. Some of the first vaccines require cold storage; Pfizer’s solution must be kept in a deep freeze of -70° Celsius. And any misstep along the ‘cold chain’ can be disastrous – improper packaging, storage or shipping can render the drugs ineffective or potentially harmful.

With the FDA fast-tracking COVID-19 vaccination approval, pharmaceutical manufacturers and their distribution partners must keep pace to ensure safe and proper medication administration. URAC’s expertise in setting temperature-management standards provides great insight into the in-depth requirements surrounding vaccine distribution and storage.

URAC has addressed temperature management within its standards since we first launched our specialty and mail service accreditation standards. As pharmacies continue to play a critical role in health care delivery, URAC continues to ensure that any organization receiving the URAC accreditation seal has met the highest standards of temperature management in the United States.

As Jennifer explains in the video, URAC’s first set of standards addressed prescription drug stability and integrity at the pharmacy level and during shipping. In 2015, URAC implemented specific validation requirements for transporting cold chain medications. In 2019, URAC expanded those requirements to address medication delivery and internal storage procedures at all temperature levels. To obtain accreditation, URAC now requires organizations to qualify their product storage and delivery programs through continuous monitoring and testing.

From storage to shipping, URAC helps pharmacies build trust with their patients, ensuring medication distribution practices are safe and effective. These concepts are clearly important in the distribution and storage of the COVID-19 vaccine.


Learn more about URAC’s Pharmacy accreditation programs

By URAC Staff
Share this

Which URAC accreditations are right for your organization?

Take the Quiz

Recent Posts

  • VyTrac Earns URAC’S First Remote Patient Monitoring Accreditation
  • National Association of Independent Review Organizations to host 2021 Virtual Educational Symposium
  • New Parity Statute Codifies Existing Guidance, Includes New Obligations for Health Plans
  • URAC Joins Other Stakeholders in Urging Policymakers to Leverage Digital Health to Combat Pandemic
  • Fairview Pharmacy Service Receives URAC Rare Disease Designation

Topics

  • ANET
  • Behavioral Health
  • Client Interviews
  • Digital Health
  • Gold Star Talks
  • Government Relations
  • Health Management
  • Health Plan
  • Industry Event
  • Mental Health Parity
  • Opioid Stewardship
  • Other Topics
  • Outcomes and Measures
  • Patient Management
  • Pharmacy
  • Press Release
  • Telehealth

Ready to start your accreditation or certification journey?

Still have questions? We look forward to answering them and making you comfortable with the process.

Let's Talk

Let's Talk

  • By providing your contact information through this Request a Quote form, you agree to be contacted by a member of our Business Development team. You also agree to receive email communications from URAC about products and services relevant to your inquiry. You may unsubscribe from these communications at anytime. For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out our Privacy Policy.
urac logo

1220 L Street NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
202-216-9010

  • Accreditations & Certifications
    • General Information
      • Accreditation Process
      • Accreditation Standards
      • Accreditation FAQs
      • Directory
    • Accreditation & Certification Programs
      • Pharmacy
      • Health Plan
      • Digital/Telehealth
      • Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder Parity
      • Patient Care Management
      • Administrative Management
      • View All Accreditations/Certifications
  • Outcomes & Measures
    • About Measures
    • Measurement Process and Reporting
    • Measurement FAQs
    • Performance Measurement Results
  • About URAC
    • History
    • Mission
    • Executive Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Committee/Council Membership
    • Careers
  • News
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • On-Demand Events
  • Contact
    • Directory
    • Submit an Interpretations Inquiry
    • File a Grievance
  • Code of Conduct
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Submit an Interpretations Inquiry
  • File a Grievance
Client Login

© 2021 URAC. All Rights Reserved.

Website by Yoko Co

Scroll To Top