Accreditation - Urgent Care Association

Accreditation

Advance your Urgent Care organization to the highest level of distinction in patient care through safety, quality and scope of services.

JOIN THE RANKS OF OVER 2,000 ACCREDITED CENTERS

Urgent Care is unique, which is why we developed a unique accreditation program specifically for Urgent Care organizations. Through the UCA Accreditation Program, your accredited Urgent Care organization will stay in-network with select payers, while you receive a 25% discount on UCA membership. Just getting started and haven’t opened yet? Ask about our Early Accreditation Program, which grants you provisional accreditation prior to opening to assist in meeting regulatory and credentialing requirements.

8 Reasons to become UCA-Accredited

Raise the bar, ensuring your organization is providing the highest level of safety measures and quality of care to your patients.
Earn the competitive edge among your peers in your marketplace.
Enhance the rollout of new centers by standardizing policies, procedures and expectations across your organization.
Position your organization as one recognized for highest quality and safety requirements as payer networks narrow.
Become eligible for potential risk management credit of up to 15% on professional liability insurance.
Achieve best practices throughout your organization to help improve staff morale and retention.
Compete for patients- and medical-community referrals from those who value an Urgent Care organization’s commitment to best clinical and administrative practices.
Benefit from peer-to-peer discussions with your accreditation surveyor during the survey process.

Accreditation Commitment

UCA Accreditation demonstrates a commitment to scope of care that meets the criteria of the UCA certified center, as well as a quality and safety commitment to your patients and workforce. It represents the only endeavor in the industry that will provide the applicant dual Accreditation and Certification.

Through this process you are making a commitment of:

Financial and human resources
Comprehensive assessments that examine your organization’s capabilities and practices
Access and a scope of services to your community representative of a UCA-certified Urgent Care center

Early Accreditation

Early Accreditation grants you provisional accreditation prior to opening to assist in meeting regulatory and credentialing requirements. Questions? Contact us at quality@urgentcareassociation.org to learn more.

STEPS TOWARD ACCREDITATION

Apply

New to UCA’s Quality Program? Simply email us at quality@ucaoa.org to begin the application process. Make sure to include the program of interest, your organization’s legal name, key contact (full name, email address, and phone number), and number of centers. Need to renew? Log into UCA’s portal and access the application from the key contact’s profile page. Renewing organizations should apply eight months prior to expiration.

Prepare

Once the application is complete and payment is confirmed, you will receive a welcome email with a link to the Quality Programs Resource Center. It will contain the Accreditation Standards Manual and other resources to assist in the Accreditation process. The Standards Manual outlines the requirements of Accreditation and helps you prepare for the survey. Renewing organizations will have their survey scheduled four to five months prior to expiration. Initial organizations have six months from application to request their survey.

survey

Surveys are announced and include both administrative review and center visits. The length of the survey depends on the size of the organization. Post survey and completion of required corrections allow the organization to earn Accreditation, which is granted for 36 months from the date of survey (initial organizations) or expiration of prior cycle (renewing organizations).

Additional Resources

Accreditation is valid for 36 months and then must be renewed to maintain the designation. With our accreditation process, your centers must also meet the certification criteria, so you earn UCA Certification simultaneously with UCA Accreditation. Once your organization has attained full accreditation, UCA will also provide you with tools and resources to help you promote your achievement, including access to digital logos.

2024 Quality Program Fee Structure

INFO FOR PAYERS & REGULATORY AGENCIES

Find a list of Accredited Urgent Care centers.