URAC Telehealth Accreditation Consulting
Last updated: October 2026
URAC Telehealth Accreditation reviews organizations that deliver healthcare through digital modalities against URAC's Telehealth standards, currently version 4.0, and Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) prepares telehealth platforms, virtual behavioral health organizations and remote patient monitoring (RPM) programs for it with a Standard-by-Standard Review, drafted policies, a mock desktop review and readiness support.
The program comes from URAC. The current standard is Telehealth Accreditation v4.0. IHS, founded in 2002 by Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC, drafts the policies and documents for your clinicians and technical leaders to review and approve. Your organization's named contact submits the application and every response to URAC.
Who needs URAC telehealth accreditation?
Six categories of organizations pursue URAC telehealth accreditation:
- Direct care providers: physician practices, nursing groups and hospital systems scaling virtual urgent care and telepsychiatry
- Health plans and payers: commercial insurers and Medicaid MCOs validating the quality of virtual provider networks
- Specialty care organizations: chronic disease management, substance use disorder treatment and longitudinal behavioral health
- Digital-first technology platforms: telehealth software vendors bundled with clinical staffing networks, acting as both technology conduit and provider of record
- Remote patient monitoring (RPM) organizations: these should also see the RPM compliance page
- Virtual behavioral health and telepsychiatry platforms: online therapy and psychiatry services
Does telehealth accreditation help with payer contracting?
Some payer contracts call for accreditation, and others do not, so the contract language that applies to you decides. Where a contract does not require it, accreditation is a third-party quality signal that some payers and enterprise buyers weigh. Read the contract or request for proposal before you decide.
What are the three URAC telehealth modules?
URAC Telehealth Accreditation v4.0 has three modules, named for the parties in the encounter.
| Module | Covers | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer-to-Provider (C2P) | Patient-initiated telehealth encounters | Direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms and virtual urgent care |
| Provider-to-Consumer (P2C) | Provider-initiated encounters, where the clinical team reaches out to the patient | Chronic disease management, RPM follow-up and proactive care coordination |
| Provider-to-Provider (P2P) | Digital consult workflows between clinicians | E-consult platforms, telestroke and tele-ICU programs, specialist referral networks |
Which module does your organization need?
Module selection depends on your clinical encounter model. In IHS's mapping, a virtual urgent care platform serving patients directly maps to C2P, a hospital system conducting remote follow-ups for discharged patients maps to P2C, and a telestroke network connecting emergency physicians with neurologists maps to P2P. IHS runs a module mapping assessment during the Standard-by-Standard Review. For more detail, see the telehealth accreditation FAQ.
How long does URAC telehealth accreditation take, and what does IHS deliver in each phase?
IHS plans for 6 to 9 months from the start of consulting to the accreditation decision. That is an IHS planning range, not a URAC figure, and organizations without strong foundational readiness should plan for the longer end. The week ranges below are IHS planning ranges.
| Phase | IHS planning range | What IHS delivers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Standard-by-Standard Review | Weeks 1-4 | An educational review of every applicable v4.0 standard and module with your staff, a clear picture of what must be built, revised or created, and a timeline |
| 2. Document preparation | Weeks 5-12 | Policy templates for each applicable standard area, drafts for your review, and revisions. Documentation spans the information systems capability assessment (ISCA), clinical triage protocols, privacy and security safeguards, credentialing policies for multi-state licensure and the e-prescribing framework |
| 3. Mock Desktop Review and AccreditNet upload preparation | Weeks 13-16 | A simulated desktop review of your documents, staff readiness interviews, and document formatting for upload. Your organization uploads the documents to URAC's AccreditNet platform |
| 4. URAC desktop review and RFI responses | Weeks 17-22 | URAC reviews the uploaded documents and may issue requests for information (RFIs). IHS drafts each response with supporting evidence, and your named contact submits it |
| 5. Validation review preparation | Weeks 23-24 | Mock Validation Review practice with staff interviews and system demonstrations so people can show that the written policies are practiced |
| 6. Decision and ongoing monitoring | After the validation review | URAC's accreditation committee makes the decision. IHS supports readiness for the monitoring that follows |
What internal staffing does accreditation need?
Accreditation is not a consultant-only project. Plan for clinical leadership (a CMO or Medical Director) to take part in clinical guideline development, peer review and quality oversight, a technical director (CIO or CTO) to own the ISCA and data security, and a quality management coordinator to act as the project manager, control document versions and run the quality committee meetings. IHS supplements your team's capacity so your staff builds the competence to maintain accreditation after the engagement.
What does URAC telehealth accreditation cost?
The cost has three parts: URAC's fees, consulting fees, and your own staff time. URAC sets its fees, and IHS has not found a published URAC fee schedule for telehealth accreditation, so verify current fees with URAC before you budget. Your internal staff time is the part you control most directly.
IHS sets a fixed fee for each engagement after a free discovery session, because scope, number of sites and gap severity change the work. For the cost drivers, see the URAC telehealth accreditation cost guide.
Where does IHS look for gaps before a URAC telehealth survey?
These are the areas an IHS Standard-by-Standard Review checks before you submit. They are IHS's review focus, and a gap in any of them can lead to an RFI.
- Medication reconciliation: a single medication list that every virtual encounter updates. IHS provides workflow templates that fit your EHR.
- Allergy documentation: reaction details and consistent terminology across screens.
- Individualized plans of care: problems, interventions and goals linked and updated across virtual visits.
- Discharge and patient instructions: clear written medication dosage, strength and frequency at the end of a digital encounter.
- Provider credentialing: primary source verification and active licensure across the states where you deliver care.
- Delegation oversight: audits of staffing agencies and other vendors that provide virtual care.
- Technology risk assessment and business continuity: documented annual assessments of your cloud and endpoint environment, and continuity plans that match your current infrastructure.
- Quality management minutes: records that the quality committee meets regularly and acts on adverse events.
- Informed consent: financial disclosures, out-of-pocket fees and the limits of care by virtual modality.
How does IHS help with URAC telehealth accreditation?
The IHS process covers standards acquisition, a Standard-by-Standard Review, document and evidence mapping, a Mock Desktop Review against the governing text, and readiness support. IHS drafts the policies and documents for your clinicians to review and approve. IHS is a consulting firm and does not sell telehealth software. Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD, personally leads IHS's URAC and program-development engagements.
Your organization supplies its clinical and technical leaders and its records, and your named contact submits the application and responses to URAC. If you are comparing accreditors, see the URAC telehealth and Joint Commission telehealth comparison and the ACHC telehealth page.
What this is not
- IHS is not an accrediting body and does not grant or influence a URAC accreditation decision.
- IHS drafts the text and your organization's named contact submits it.
- This page is not legal advice, and no consultant can guarantee an accreditation outcome.
Frequently asked questions
What is URAC telehealth accreditation?
URAC Telehealth Accreditation is a quality credential from URAC for organizations delivering healthcare through digital modalities. The current standard is Telehealth Accreditation v4.0, with modules named C2P, P2C and P2P.
How long does URAC telehealth accreditation take?
IHS plans for 6 to 9 months from the start of consulting to the accreditation decision, and that is an IHS planning range. The process spans a Standard-by-Standard Review, document preparation, a Mock Desktop Review, AccreditNet upload, URAC's desktop review and a validation review.
How much does URAC telehealth accreditation cost?
The cost has three parts: URAC's fees, consulting fees and your staff time. IHS has not found a published URAC fee schedule, so verify current fees with URAC. IHS sets a fixed fee for each engagement after a free discovery session. See the cost guide.
What are the three modules of URAC telehealth accreditation?
Consumer-to-Provider (C2P) covers patient-initiated encounters, Provider-to-Consumer (P2C) covers provider-initiated encounters, and Provider-to-Provider (P2P) covers digital consults between clinicians. Which module applies depends on your delivery model.
Does URAC telehealth accreditation help with payer contracting?
Some payer contracts call for accreditation, so read the contract language that applies to you. Where it is not required, accreditation can serve as a third-party quality signal for payers and enterprise buyers.
What documents does IHS prepare for URAC telehealth accreditation?
IHS prepares the information systems capability assessment (ISCA), clinical triage protocols, privacy and security safeguards, credentialing policies for multi-state licensure, and policies across risk management, operations, performance monitoring, consumer protection, patient encounters and clinical care. Each selected module has its own documentation.
Who is this not for?
This service is not for an organization that needs a different accreditor or that wants a law firm's opinion or a software vendor. It is for telehealth, digital health and RPM organizations that want their policies drafted and their readiness tested against URAC's telehealth standards before they submit.
Ready to prepare for URAC telehealth accreditation?
Schedule a conversation with IHS. We will assess your current posture against the URAC Telehealth v4.0 standards and outline a roadmap. See also Accreditation Consulting.