URAC Wellness Standard 8 -- Application of Inclusion Criteria

This 3-weighted standard reads:

The wellness organization has a process to apply inclusion criteria, based on the health risk assessment process, for the wellness program.

Because a Wellness Program is not likely to be asked by the employer to include the entire population of employees, this standard contemplates a selection of a subset of that population for participation.  The selection method, under this standard, needs to be a clearly-articulated approach, replete with "inclusion criteria" based on the health risk assessment method used in the Program.  "Inclusion criteria" is defined by URAC as "The factors, typically defined by the purchaser, that determine whether an individual is within the target population of the wellness program."

Whenever URAC uses the word "process", you can bet the documentation required will be a formal policy and procedure or other description of the Wellness Program.  Onsite evaluation is likely to be a combination of documentary review of the application of the criteria to select participants, as well as an interview with the staff members charged with applying the criteria to the data for participant selection.