NCQA Launches Virtual Care Accreditation

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced the launch of a new evaluation program, Virtual Care Accreditation, designed as a quality roadmap for organizations that deliver care through virtual modalities. The first two modules of the Virtual Care Accreditation standards, which apply to primary care and urgent care, are available for purchase through the NCQA store now. Applications for surveys open in November 2024. 

The Virtual Care Accreditation standards are designed to help organizations deliver high-quality patient care, identify and address gaps in their virtual care programs and effectively report and track patient outcomes. Accreditation highlights organizations meeting the virtual care requirements and may facilitate alignment with value-based care contracting agreements. Organizations can pursue a seal in the Virtual Care Delivery, Virtual Care Delivery Oversight or both seals simultaneously, then select a module in Primary Care and/or Urgent Care. 

“Health care delivery has undergone a significant transformation with the rapid adoption of virtual care, and while accessible health care is important, it must also be of high quality and equitable across the care continuum,” said NCQA President, Peggy O’Kane. “These evaluation modules for organizations that deliver virtual care will create standardization, elevate best practices for this model of care delivery, address fragmentation and assist organizations in their pursuit of quality care.”

Starting in 2023, NCQA led the Virtual Care Accreditation Pilot Program for a select group of diverse health care organizations that provided valuable and strategic input to development of Virtual Care Accreditation. NCQA also convened an advisory panel of experts in the virtual care field, held a roundtable discussion, conducted intensive market interviews and environmental scans, released the standards for public comment and met with its Standards Committee and Clinical Programs Committee for review and guidance. 

For information about NCQA Accreditation in Virtual Care Delivery and/or Virtual Care Delivery Oversight, visit Virtual Care Accreditation – NCQA. To access the publication, which includes requirements to meet the standards, as well as explanations and examples, visit NCQA > 2024 Virtual Care Standards and Guidelines.

Register for a free webinar on September 24 at 1 p.m. ET to learn about Virtual Care Accreditation and its impact on the quality of virtual primary and urgent care delivery.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA Accredits and Certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS^®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make informed health care choices. NCQA can also be found at Twitter/X @ncqa and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ncqa.

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