Leading Indicator

One of the new changes in URAC's new scoring system is the "Leading Indicator".   Here's what URAC says about it:

Leading Indicator: Non-weighted, optional element highlighting effective practices not yet widely adopted in health care

• Potential forecast of where the health care industry may be heading
• Provides a way for an organization to distinguish itself from other accredited companies
• Leading indicators is not reported to URAC’s Accreditation or Executive Committees and do not influence an applicant’s final accreditation score or category
• Cannot be designated “not applicable” given that they are optional
• Before URAC will acknowledge that an applicant has met a leading indicator:
•     Full accreditation must be achieved, and
•     Element must be met at 100% compliance
•     Initially URAC will list leading indicators in the Accreditation Summary Report (ASR)
•            Other types of marketing exposure may be considered in the future (e.g., Web site, conferences, etc.)

URAC is not clear about this future marketing exposure, but given the just-concluded awards conference, you can bet that this will be a consideration in future awards.