Scoring

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. 

There is no change in the language of Core 20 from v. 2.0 to v. 2.1.  The standard still reads:

If the organization has a system for reimbursement, bonuses, or incentives to staff or health care providers based directly on consumer utilization of health care services, then the organization implements mechanisms addressing how the organization will ensure that consumer health care is not compromised. (Primary)

What URAC has done, however, is to raise the weight from 4 to 5, making this a mandatory standard.  In other words, you must get a score of 2 or higher on this standard in order to receive full accreditation.  

For a more complete explanation of URAC scoring, see my earlier blog on the topic.