URAC Community Health Worker Program Accreditation
The nation's first formal accreditation program for organizations that employ, contract with, or support community health workers. IHS guides you from gap analysis through survey — led by the former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC.
Schedule a Free Discovery SessionWhat Is URAC Community Health Worker Program Accreditation?
URAC Community Health Worker Program Accreditation is an organizational-level recognition that a CHW program meets nationally validated standards for program design, workforce development, scope of practice, quality management, and health equity integration. Launched in 2024, it is the first accreditation in the United States developed specifically for organizations that employ or contract with community health workers across healthcare and community settings.
The accreditation evaluates the organization — not individual CHWs — across ten standard domains. Standards were developed through a multi-stakeholder advisory committee representing Federally Qualified Health Centers, community-based organizations, nonprofits, educational institutions, and payers. The result is a framework that reflects how CHW programs actually operate in the field.
Who This Accreditation Is For
URAC CHW Program Accreditation applies to any organization that employs or contracts directly with community health workers. Eligible organizations include:
- Hospitals and health systems
- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
- Health plans and managed care organizations
- State and local public health departments
- Community-based organizations
- Nonprofit health and social service agencies
- For-profit CHW staffing and service organizations
- Academic medical centers
- Faith-based health programs
- Integrated care networks and ACOs
If your organization employs, trains, or contracts with CHWs and wants to demonstrate quality, equity, and program integrity to payers, regulators, or community partners — this accreditation was built for you.
The Ten Standard Domains
URAC's CHW Program Accreditation evaluates organizations across ten areas. Standards embed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and social determinants of health (SDOH) at the core of every domain — not as add-ons.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Standards for client and employee DEI, inclusive hiring practices, and culturally responsive service delivery across all program operations.
Workforce Development
Equitable compensation frameworks, career development pathways, supervision structures, and defined reporting relationships for CHWs.
Learning & Development
Onboarding curricula, ongoing training requirements, competency assessment, and continuing education frameworks aligned to CHW roles.
Scope of Practice
Defined CHW roles, boundaries of practice, documentation of what CHWs do and do not do, and alignment with applicable state scope-of-practice frameworks.
Peer Support Integration
Standards for how peer support functions within the CHW model, including referral pathways, co-deployment with clinical teams, and peer support documentation.
Quality Management
Performance measurement, outcome tracking, quality improvement infrastructure, and mechanisms to assess CHW contributions to population health goals.
Care Team Integration
How CHWs are embedded into clinical workflows, cross-team coordination protocols, communication standards, and handoff procedures.
Leadership Engagement
Organizational leadership accountability for the CHW program, governance structures, program sponsorship, and executive-level commitment indicators.
Community & SDOH Alignment
How the program identifies and responds to community social determinants, community needs assessment integration, and SDOH data use in service delivery.
Program Sustainability
Funding strategy, billing and reimbursement infrastructure (including Medicaid billing code implementation), and long-term program viability planning.
Why CHW Program Accreditation Matters Now
Payer and Regulatory Pressure
States are increasingly tying Medicaid CHW billing eligibility to demonstrated program quality. Payers are asking CHW program operators to document structure and outcomes. Accreditation provides the evidence framework that satisfies both.
Workforce Legitimacy
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 13% CHW job growth through 2032 — faster than average for all occupations. As the workforce grows, organizations that can demonstrate structured training, defined scope, and quality oversight will differentiate from those that cannot.
Health Equity Accountability
Funders, community partners, and patients increasingly expect CHW programs to demonstrate equity at the structural level — not just as a stated value. URAC's standards embed DEI into program architecture, not marketing language.
Competitive Differentiation
Jefferson Health became the first organization to earn this accreditation in 2025. Early movers gain positioning advantages in grant applications, payer contracting, RFP responses, and community trust-building that later applicants will spend years trying to replicate.
How IHS Guides Your Program Through Accreditation
IHS brings insider knowledge of how URAC standards are written, interpreted, and evaluated. Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD served as the former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of URAC — the organization that created this accreditation. That perspective is not available elsewhere.
Phase 1: Gap Analysis
We map your current CHW program operations against all ten standard domains. Every gap is documented with specificity — not just "policy missing" but what the policy must contain, how it must be operationalized, and what evidence URAC reviewers will look for.
Phase 2: Policy & Program Architecture
We develop or refine the policies, procedures, job descriptions, training frameworks, and quality management infrastructure required by each domain. Deliverables are built for operational use — not accreditation theater.
Phase 3: Evidence Development
Standards require documented evidence of operations over time. We help you build the evidence calendar: what to collect, how to document it, and how to organize it for desktop review.
Phase 4: Mock Review & Survey Prep
Before submission, we conduct a structured internal review that replicates how URAC evaluators will assess your documentation. Staff interview preparation is included — what surveyors ask and how to answer accurately.
Phase 5: Application & Survey Support
We support application submission, reviewer correspondence, and — if needed — response to any deficiency findings. Our familiarity with how URAC reviewers interpret standards is the asset most organizations lack.
Ready to Begin?
A discovery session is the right first step. We'll assess your program's current state, identify the highest-priority gaps, and outline a realistic path to accreditation.
Schedule a Free Discovery Session