URAC gears up for Best Practices Awards

WASHINGTON The nation's leading healthcare accreditation and education organization has issued a call for entries for its 2010 Best Practices Awards in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection to find which companies are setting the standard in advancing the role of consumers as active participants in health care.

URAC's Best Practices Awards recognize the achievements of healthcare companies that are actively pursuing practices to advance consumer empowerment and protection in an exceptional, measurable and reproducible way. Last year's winners included such innovative companies as CVS Caremark, HealthPartners, Eliza Corp., Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, and Pro-Change Behavior Systems.

"At a time when everyone is looking for healthcare value, transparency, and accountability, the URAC Best Practices Awards give healthcare organizations an opportunity to showcase best practices and receive recognition for their commitment to engage consumers as partners," said Alan Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "We are delighted to honor those who are leading the health care industry through innovation and providing proven practices that advance patient safety and empower consumers."

Awards will be given in two categories. The Consumer Decision-Making category recognizes practices that educate consumers about their healthcare needs while providing the information, tools, and resources necessary to promote empowerment. These could include health coaching, disease-specific education, or behavior change programs. The Consumer Health Improvement category honors practices that are related to quality improvement in patient safety such as drug therapy management, disease prevention, or care coordination.

The deadline for entries is March 15. To access the online submission form, visit www.urac.org/QualitySummit11/. For questions, e-mail [email protected] or call 202-216-9010.