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HH Specialty Pharmacy Program Earns ‘Gold Standard’ Accreditation From URAC

February 21, 2024 | Reading Time: 2 minutes
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Prescription bottle on its side with pills spread out on the surface

The Huntsville Hospital Health System’s Specialty Pharmacy program recently marked a significant milestone in its commitment to providing exceptional care.

On Feb. 1, the program received accreditation from URAC, considered the “gold standard” for specialty pharmacies across the U.S. Jill Denney, manager of Retail Pharmacy Operations for HH Health, said the accreditation journey started in late 2021.

URAC is an independent, third-party organization recognized by many as the leader in pharmacy accreditation. In a complex industry such as specialty pharmacy, URAC accreditation provides a mark of distinction for health care organizations, showing its commitment to quality and improved patient outcomes.

HH is now one of two URAC-accredited specialty pharmacies in our region and one of 12 accredited specialty pharmacies in Alabama, Denney said.

“This accreditation puts us into an elite group of pharmacies,” she said. “It provides access to limited-distribution prescription drugs and narrow insurance networks, which ultimately allows us to serve more people in our community.”

Specialty pharmacies focus on diseases such as hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, cancer and more. Medications to treat these diseases often have complex drug regimens, complicated administration requirements and difficult-to-manage side effects. Ensuring the safety and efficacy of specialty medication is a challenge, but a specialty pharmacy is equipped to support these diseases and medication regimens.

URAC Accredited - Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation 2/1/2027

Having URAC Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation shows patients, providers and payers that our pharmacy meets the strictest standards and delivers high-quality specialized clinical services. The high standards set by URAC also ensure exemplary patient care.

The accreditation process goes beyond collecting metrics and checking boxes. It is an intricate, collaborative process that requires extensive documentation and an on-site visit to ensure a health organization is meeting standards.

“The application totaled over 800 pages, citing over 75 policies and supportive documents,” Denney said. “It was a very involved process that required many people across the system to support us. It truly was a group effort from the whole system. Additionally, I want to give special recognition to Nick Carter, our Accreditation Specialist, and DeAnne Maxson, our Specialty Pharmacy Supervisor, who, without their efforts, we could not have achieved this milestone.”

Denney thanks all the HH Health personnel who contributed to the accreditation process, especially her team.

“Our pharmacy team worked very hard to reach this achievement, and I’m very proud of them,” she said. “They did a great job.”

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