URAC, the nation’s leading independent health care accreditor, has officially introduced the Health Care Artificial Intelligence (AI) Accreditation Program the first of its kind in the industry. This groundbreaking initiative establishes a trusted framework for the ethical, safe, and equitable use of AI in health care, ensuring innovation can flourish while safeguarding both patients and providers under rigorous oversight standards.
To design the program, URAC convened a national Health Care AI Advisory Committee comprised of 29 experts representing diverse fields such as clinical delivery, digital health, public policy, legal compliance, academic research, and patient safety. This multidisciplinary collaboration ensured that the accreditation standards align with the real-world needs of patients, providers, developers, and health care organizations alike.
“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 program features two distinct accreditation tracks. The first is designed for AI developers, validating systems built with transparency, robust testing, bias management, and responsible data practices. This track allows developers to distinguish themselves from unverified or unethical actors by demonstrating their commitment to quality and accountability. The second track is tailored for health care organizations deploying AI, offering a structured playbook to ensure safe, effective, and ethical implementation. Accreditation provides essential safeguards, including clinical oversight, patient awareness, privacy protection, and monitoring for potential errors or false findings.
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“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 accreditation standards are built on three pillars: risk management, operations and infrastructure, and performance monitoring and improvement. Organizations can pursue accreditation as AI developers, users, or both.
As AI rapidly transforms clinical care, URAC’s Health Care AI Accreditation provides health systems and technology developers with a credible way to demonstrate quality and accountability while advancing innovation responsibly. For patients, it delivers peace of mind that their data, rights, and outcomes remain protected in the era of AI-driven health care.
