This week, the National Committee for Quality Assurance released new accreditation standards to help healthcare organizations meet the quality and regulatory requirements of telehealth programs and facilitate alignment with value-based care contract arrangements.
WHY IT MATTERS
During last year’s Virtual Care Recognition Pilot Program, healthcare organizations provided valuable and strategic input in the development of the new recognition program, NCQA said in this week’s announcement.
In addition, the process involves industry and committee discussions, market research, and a public review and comment period.
Assessment modules for virtual care will create standardization and enhance best practices, according to Peggy O’Kane, president of NCQA.
Organizations can pursue certification in Virtual Care Delivery, for organizations that are virtual-first or hybrid in delivering urgent and primary care online, and certification in Virtual Care Delivery Supervision, for organizations that oversee care delivered through virtual modalities but do not directly deliver care.
NCQA says healthcare organizations can also pursue both certifications at the same time and will benefit from annual reporting — a process that can help strengthen virtual care programs over time.
According to the commission’s website, virtual care certification provides:
- Flexibility to fit your organization’s strengths, schedule, and goals.
- Personalized service through designated NCQA representative.
- User-friendly reporting and reduced paperwork.
- Adapts to changes in health care over time.
The first two modules on primary care and urgent care are available now, with more coming soon. NCQA will also host Virtual Care Accreditation 101, an informational webinar, on September 24 at 1 p.m. ET.
THE BIGGER TREND
As virtual care practices exploded due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCQA initiated a broad update to its Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set quality measures in 2020.
O’Kane said the updates not only recognised the role telehealth had played in delivering care during the unprecedented national lockdown, but also that it was “a vital part of the healthcare system of the future”.
However, Matt Wolf, senior healthcare analyst at consulting firm RSM US, said Healthcare IT News earlier this week that while telemedicine will still be effective in the post-pandemic era, success could stagnate without regulatory reform and incentives to improve patient outcomes.
While incentives to improve patient outcomes could make virtual health care more economically meaningful, expanding access is constrained by the current telehealth operations and payment structures, he said.
“The current regulatory and reimbursement framework prevents that,” he said. “Instead of a single labor market that can serve patients online, we have 50 local markets.”
ON THE RECORD
“Healthcare delivery has undergone a significant transformation with the rapid adoption of virtual care, and while accessible care is important, it must also be high quality and equitable across the entire care continuum,” O’Kane said in a statement announcing the new certification.
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.
