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URAC Launches New eLearning Courses for Health Care Management Accreditation

Posted on: Tuesday, 28 July 2009, 07:00 CDT

New educational tools make training easy and affordable for managed care organizations

WASHINGTON, July 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Accredited companies possess a distinct advantage in their ability to show employers and purchasers that their on-going business practices include beneficial services and a strong clinical focus. To help health care management companies achieve accreditation, URAC, the leading health care accreditation and education organization, today announced the expansion of its eLearning educational program. Now companies can access URAC's Health Plans, Health Call Centers and Workers' Compensation Utilization Management Accreditation courses online. The eLearning format saves organizations time and money, while increasing access to the benefits of accreditation.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030501/URACLOGO)

"Given today's economy and the additional responsibilities that have been thrust upon managed care professionals, we know it's important to provide training opportunities that are accessible, affordable and easy to navigate," said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "We're delighted to offer health care management professionals additional training options for URAC's accreditation standards."

Since URAC launched its Learning System this spring, the organization has honed the power of technology to help companies overcome the limitations of time, distance and resources. As the first level of instruction in a new multi-tiered approach to educating users in the accreditation standards, the new, easy-to-use eLearning modules address three specific areas of accreditation:

• Health Plan: URAC Health Plan standards apply to integrated networks such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs), risk-assuming preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and other integrated health networks. Additionally, these standards provide a number of important consumer protections. Participants will understand the standards in the following areas relating to the Health Plan accreditation: Network Management, Credentialing, Consumer Protection, Utilization Management, and Quality Management.
• Health Call Center: URAC Health Call Center standards apply to organizations providing triage and health information services to the public when conducted by telephone, via Web site or other electronic means. The standards assure that registered nurses, physicians or other validly licensed individuals perform the clinical aspects of triage and other health information services in a manner that is timely, confidential, and includes medically appropriate care and treatment advice. At the end of the course, participants will be able to understand the scope of services addressed by these standards; describe the personnel requirements for a Health Call Center; understand the basic operations of the Health Call Center; and understand how to implement Quality Improvement Projects to develop and enhance clinical decision support tools.
• Workers' Compensation Utilization Management: URAC Workers' Compensation UM standards are similar to the URAC Health UM standards but contain modifications that reflect the unique aspects of the workers' compensation environment and injured workers. Our eLearning course provides an interactive educational tool using both audio and video, and is guided by a URAC accredited reviewer.
  

The addition of these new modules increases the number of eLearning curriculum that are currently available to seven courses. Core Standards, Understanding Quality Improvement Projects (QIP), URAC Scoring System, and Health Utilization Management sessions were launched earlier this year. URAC plans to continue its aggressive schedule for expanding its eLearning course offerings.

"We know that when health care management companies are accredited, they see improved effectiveness and cost efficiency, however ultimately it is consumers who benefit from more transparency and more accountability from their managed care providers," said Mr. Spielman. "We are pleased to make accreditation more accessible while raising the bar for more and more organizations to meet clearly-defined quality standards. Truly everyone wins."

Organizations interested in exploring how URAC can help with education needs can sign up for eLearning opportunities here, or contact URAC at 202-216-9010 or by email at education@urac.org. Information on all of URAC's current training opportunities is also available at the URAC Learning Center.

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement 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.

SOURCE URAC

Source: PR Newswire

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