The URAC Report

It is an old but true adage that government moves slowly. While change may be swift, your local, state, or federal regulator is not.

Robust measurement and accreditation programs are key components of a successful telehealth program, leading experts say.

“There shouldn’t be any difference between a quality telehealth visit” and a traditional in-office doctor visit, says Marybeth Farquhar, vice president, quality, research and measurement, URAC.

Change is a part of every quality improvement initiative, and leadership is essential to the endeavor.  Thought leader Don Berwick, M.D. stated that the failure to move the quality agenda forward was due to the failure of leadership and the inability of medical administrators and the professional workforce to innovate (Galvin, 2005).

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Healthcare is no exception. Quality and accountability are two buzzwords that began in the latter half of the 2000s and intensified with the passage of the Accountable Care Act in 2010.