New program sets national standards for ethical and trustworthy AI use in patient care
URAC, the nation’s leading independent accreditor of health care organizations, today announced the official launch of the Health Care Artificial Intelligence (AI) Accreditation Program. This first-of-its-kind program establishes a trusted framework for safe, ethical and equitable AI use across health care, ensuring that patients and providers can benefit from innovation while being protected by rigorous oversight standards.
To develop the program, URAC convened a national Health Care AI Advisory Committee of 29 experts from a variety of specialties, including health care delivery, digital health, public policy, academic research, legal compliance and patient safety. Their collective expertise ensured that the standards reflect the real-world needs of all health AI stakeholders, including the full range of health care entities, as well as patients and developers.
“The current policy landscape around AI prioritizes innovation but provides minimal regulation, leaving patients and providers without needed protections. As an independent nonprofit organization, we saw an opportunity to bring together key players in the health care AI space to establish a clear set of standards,” said Shawn Griffin, MD, President and CEO of URAC. “Our accreditation can validate that the AI tools used in health care were developed to promote safe, ethical and responsible use. By creating a trusted framework, we are supporting innovation and the promise of AI to be a powerful tool in health care.”
The Health Care AI program includes two distinct accreditation tracks with one for developers, to validate AI systems that are built with transparency, rigorous testing, appropriate bias management and responsible data handling. This will help developers differentiate themselves from “bad actors” by demonstrating their commitment to quality and transparent information. The second track is for user organizations, offering a clear playbook for implementing AI safely and effectively. The accreditation provides safeguards for clinical oversight, patient awareness, privacy and monitoring for errors or false findings.
“AI holds enormous potential to improve care delivery, from streamlining workflows for overextended nurses to enhancing diagnostic accuracy, but only if it is implemented responsibly,” said Jennifer Richards, PhD, PharmD, JD, Senior Director of Product Management at URAC. “Our standards ensure that organizations not only build and test AI properly, but also disclose how systems work, monitor for false findings and guard against inappropriate bias. Ultimately, this accreditation is about protecting patients and building trust so AI can fulfill its promise in health care.”
The standards cover three core areas: risk management, operations and infrastructure and performance monitoring and improvement. Organizations may choose to seek accreditation as a developer, user or both.
As AI continues to reshape clinical care, URAC’s Health Care AI Accreditation will offer health systems and developers a way to demonstrate quality, build trust and advance innovation without compromising patient safety. The accreditation also offers patients peace of mind that their information is protected, their rights are respected, and their outcomes are not compromised by inappropriate AI use.
