This page sets the Specialty Pharmacy accreditation pages of ACHC, NABP and URAC side by side, one topic per row. Each cell states, in IHS’s words, what that accreditor’s own page says, and links to the page. It makes no recommendation and ranks no accreditor.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-03.
How do the three Specialty Pharmacy programs compare?
ACHC is the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. NABP is the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Columns run in alphabetical order.
| Topic | ACHC | NABP | URAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program name and who it is for / scope | ACHC's pharmacy page offers Specialty Pharmacy as one pharmacy service and Specialty Pharmacy without DMEPOS as a second. ACHC describes Specialty Pharmacy as disease-focused dispensing of injectable, infused or oral medicines, delivered to a home, physician office or clinic. Source: ACHC Pharmacy Accreditation page, opened 2026-10-03. | The program is Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation. NABP grants this credential for three years. The intended pharmacies manage patients' disease care at an advanced level, and the drugs they dispense have special requirements for how they are stored, handled and dispensed. Settings it names include independent community pharmacies, chains, hospitals and health systems, and specialty and mail-order pharmacies, each subject to the eligibility criteria. Source: NABP Specialty Pharmacy page, opened 2026-10-03. | The program is Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation. The page has a Who May Apply section; see the Eligibility row. Source: URAC Specialty Pharmacy page, opened 2026-10-03. |
| Eligibility | We found no eligibility criteria for Specialty Pharmacy on the ACHC pages we reviewed; Accreditation 101 states criteria only for certification applicants. The without-DMEPOS option is limited to specialty pharmacies that fall outside Medicare Part B supply or billing of DMEPOS. Pages reviewed: Pharmacy, Accreditation 101, FAQs, opened 2026-10-03. | Two listed criteria: a U.S. pharmacy holding current, active licenses in good standing wherever it operates (unless no license is required), and at least 30 days of operation across all activities. The page lists more. Source: NABP Specialty Pharmacy page, opened 2026-10-03. | URAC's page requires the applicant to be a licensed U.S. pharmacy in good standing that dispenses specialty drugs to consumers and offers patient management. Source: URAC Specialty Pharmacy page, opened 2026-10-03. |
| Survey or review type | From general ACHC pages, not Specialty Pharmacy pages: Accreditation 101 describes the formal review as watching operations, speaking with staff and examining records (Accreditation 101). The general ACHC FAQs page says a survey for Medicare deemed status arrives without notice; for other on-site surveys, and for virtual surveys where ACHC offers them, ACHC and the applicant arrange the date. On the ACHC Pharmacy page, only the without-DMEPOS listing carries a note on the survey date, and it says the date can be arranged ahead of time. All opened 2026-10-03. | After receiving the application, documents and fees, NABP verifies licensure and reviews the documents, then visits the pharmacy for a survey scheduled in advance. Source: NABP Specialty Pharmacy apply page, opened 2026-10-03. | From a general URAC process page, not a Specialty Pharmacy page: the process has a Desktop Review and a Validation Review. The Validation Review can be held on-site, remotely, or partly each. Source: URAC accreditation process page, opened 2026-10-03. |
| Accreditation cycle length | From a general ACHC page, with no Specialty Pharmacy term stated: Accreditation 101 sets a three-year review interval for organizations generally and a two-year interval for clinical laboratories. We found no interim review on that page. Source: ACHC Accreditation 101, opened 2026-10-03. | The credential runs three years; NABP also requires a compliance review each year after the first. Source: NABP Specialty Pharmacy apply page, opened 2026-10-03. | From general URAC pages that cover all programs: URAC's FAQs state a three-year award period for its accreditations and certifications (URAC accreditation FAQs). The process page adds an Ongoing Monitoring phase: during the three years, URAC may randomly select an organization for a remote standards-compliance check, free unless conducted for cause (URAC accreditation process page). Both opened 2026-10-03. |
| Standards edition stated on the pages reviewed | We found no edition or version number specific to Specialty Pharmacy. Among the edition titles on the Pharmacy page is Pharmacy, PCAB Compounding, and Home Infusion Therapy Edition. The page's Infusion Pharmacy entry gives June 1, 2024 as the date revised ACHC IRX Standards, with USP Chapter <797> updates, took effect. Neither is a Specialty Pharmacy version number. Pages reviewed: Pharmacy, Accreditation 101, opened 2026-10-03. | Not stated on the pages we reviewed. Pages reviewed: Specialty Pharmacy page, apply page, Standards Overview PDF, opened 2026-10-03. | The standards product is titled Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation Standards Version 6.0, dated October 2025, and the Standards-at-a-Glance PDF carries the title Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation v6.0. Sources: URAC standards product page; URAC Standards-at-a-Glance PDF, opened 2026-10-03. |
| Published fees | We found no fee schedule on the ACHC pages we reviewed. The general FAQs, not specific to Specialty Pharmacy, describe one fee covering the whole accreditation; no yearly charge applies to stay accredited, and surveyor expenses are not billed separately. Pages reviewed: Pharmacy, Accreditation 101, FAQs, opened 2026-10-03. Verify current fees with ACHC. | We found no fee schedule on the NABP pages we reviewed. Pricing sits behind the applicant's NABP business e-Profile login; the yearly compliance review carries participation fees. Source: NABP Specialty Pharmacy apply page, opened 2026-10-03. Verify current fees with NABP. | We found no accreditation fee schedule on the URAC pages we reviewed. URAC's FAQs say pricing varies by program and depends on matters such as organization size and number of sites (URAC accreditation FAQs). The standards product page lists a price for buying the standards document; that is the price of a document, not an accreditation fee (URAC standards product page). Both opened 2026-10-03. Verify current fees with URAC. |
How to read this
- Each cell states the accreditor’s facts in IHS’s words and links to the page they come from. No accreditor text is copied. Program, document and edition names appear as the accreditor titles them.
- Some cells come from a general accreditor page, not a Specialty Pharmacy page. Those cells say so.
- “Not stated on the pages we reviewed” means we did not find the item on the pages linked in that cell. It does not mean the accreditor has no such rule.
- The pages reviewed are the ones linked in the table and in the sources list below.
- A feature listed in one column and not in another does not mean the other accreditor lacks it.
- Eligibility row: these are statements each page makes. Each program may state or apply further requirements (NABP’s page lists more than the two given). This row is not an eligibility determination. The URAC page reviewed states no operational-period criterion; that does not mean none applies.
- Standards row: URAC states a Specialty Pharmacy version. ACHC’s page names an edition title and an IRX effective date, each scoped to the services it covers; neither is a Specialty Pharmacy version number. NABP states none on the pages reviewed. No ACHC or NABP standards purchase or download page beyond those linked was reviewed.
What this page is not
- It is not legal advice. IHS is a consulting firm, not a law firm.
- It is not a ranking, and it does not say which accreditation a pharmacy should hold.
- It is not a guarantee of any accreditor’s decision.
- IHS does not submit to an accreditor on a client’s behalf. The applicant submits.
- IHS is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by ACHC, NABP or URAC. Their names identify their own pages.
- This page does not compare payer, network or manufacturer acceptance. Each accreditor’s page makes some such statement. Read the contract.
IHS drafts policies and evidence maps against the standards a pharmacy’s applicable requirement names, once IHS has the current text. The introductory call scopes the work.
Frequently asked questions
What does this page compare?
It sets out what the Specialty Pharmacy accreditation pages of ACHC, NABP and URAC state on six topics: program and scope, eligibility, survey or review type, accreditation cycle, standards edition and published fees. Each cell states the facts in IHS’s words and links to the accreditor’s page.
Does this page recommend an accreditor?
No. It ranks nothing and says nothing about which accreditation suits a pharmacy. If a contract, state rule or customer requirement names a specific accreditation, read that document first.
What do the accreditors say about eligibility?
URAC’s page requires the applicant to be a licensed U.S. pharmacy in good standing that dispenses specialty drugs to consumers and offers patient management. NABP lists criteria that include current, active licenses in good standing wherever the pharmacy operates and at least 30 days of operation across all activities. We found no eligibility criteria for Specialty Pharmacy on the ACHC pages we reviewed; Accreditation 101 states criteria only for certification applicants. ACHC’s without-DMEPOS option is limited to specialty pharmacies that fall outside Medicare Part B supply or billing of DMEPOS. These are statements from each page, not an eligibility determination.
How long does each accreditation last?
NABP’s credential runs three years, and NABP also requires a compliance review each year after the first. URAC’s FAQs state a three-year award period for its accreditations and certifications. ACHC’s Accreditation 101 sets a three-year review interval for organizations generally. The URAC and ACHC statements are general, not specific to Specialty Pharmacy. The general URAC process page also describes an Ongoing Monitoring phase: during the three years, URAC may randomly select an organization for a remote standards-compliance check, free unless conducted for cause. We found no interim review on the ACHC page we reviewed.
Which standards edition does each accreditor state on its pages?
URAC’s standards product page shows Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation Standards Version 6.0, October 2025. ACHC’s Pharmacy page lists an edition titled Pharmacy, PCAB Compounding, and Home Infusion Therapy Edition, and its Infusion Pharmacy entry gives June 1, 2024 as the effective date of revised ACHC IRX Standards. It states no edition or version number specific to Specialty Pharmacy. We did not find an edition or version on the NABP pages we reviewed. That does not mean none exists. We did not review any ACHC or NABP standards purchase or download page beyond those linked. Check each accreditor’s site.
Do the accreditors publish their fees?
We found no accreditation fee schedule on the pages we reviewed. URAC’s FAQs say pricing varies by program and depends on matters such as organization size and number of sites; URAC’s standards product page lists a price for the standards document, which is not an accreditation fee. NABP’s pricing sits behind the applicant’s business e-Profile login, and its yearly compliance review carries participation fees. ACHC’s general FAQs describe one fee covering the whole accreditation, with no yearly charge to stay accredited. Verify current fees with each accreditor.
Does IHS submit anything to an accreditor?
No. IHS does not submit to an accreditor on a client’s behalf. The applicant submits its own application and documents.
How current is this page, and what should I confirm?
The pages were last reviewed on 2026-10-03. Accreditors change their pages, standards and fees. Confirm every detail on the accreditor’s own site before you rely on it. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
Pages opened for this review on 2026-10-03:
- URAC Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation
- URAC accreditation process
- URAC accreditation FAQs
- URAC Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation Standards (product page)
- URAC Specialty Pharmacy Standards-at-a-Glance (PDF)
- ACHC Pharmacy Accreditation
- ACHC Accreditation 101
- ACHC FAQs
- NABP Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation
- NABP Specialty Pharmacy apply page
- NABP Specialty Pharmacy Standards Overview (PDF)