Primary Care Advancement
Accreditation in Primary Care Advancement Process for New Customers
The typical evaluation time frame for earning NCQA Accreditation in Primary Care Advancement is 12-15 months from application submission to decision. This depends on the organization’s readiness, since some organizations may already be working within NCQA guidelines.
Before Applying
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1 Overview Discussion Schedule a consultative call with a program expert at least 12-15 months before your desired survey start date.
Our program expert will:
- Discuss eligibility criteria.
- Review evaluation areas.
- Identify program benefits.
- Review the Survey Readiness Package.
Not currently accredited? Contact us today and an NCQA program expert will be in touch. NCQA-Accredited organizations should submit a request through My NCQA.
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2 Purchase a Survey Readiness Package Purchase the Survey Readiness Package for Primary Care Advancement, 12-15 months prior to your desired survey start date.
This package includes everything an organization needs to initiate a successful survey process.
What’s included:
- Self-Paced Education Modules (Up to 2 Learners)
- Standards and Guidelines for the Relevant Standards Year (Access for 2-4 Users)
- Town Halls: Live Q&A Access With NCQA Experts
- Guidelines for Successful Survey Tip Sheet
- Gap Analysis Tool
- Digital Quality Measure Resource
- Interactive Review Tool (IRT) Access (Optional Add-On)
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3 Review Readiness Resources and Perform a Gap Analysis Review of the resources, completion of the comprehensive Education Course and Gap Analysis Tool provided in the Readiness Package is critical to a successful NCQA survey. These activities should be performed 12-15 months prior to your desired survey start date.
The Gap Analysis Tool can help you identify where change is needed, develop a project plan and begin implementing improvements. Many standards require a 6-month look-back period, so you must meet the standards at least 6 months before your survey date.
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4 Submit the Pre-Application Form
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5 Submit the Online Application and Access or Purchase the Survey Tool Once qualified, submit the online application, select your desired survey start date and purchase the Interactive Survey Tool. This should happen 9 months prior to your desired survey start date.
NCQA will contact you to finalize the survey start date and process the application.
See the Online Application User’s Guide and FAQs for information about the application process.
After Applying
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1 Align With NCQA Requirements Approximately 9 months before the survey start date, work to align your organization with the program standards. You should be fully aligned with the requirements 6 months before your survey start date.
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2 Submit the Survey Tool Approximately 3 months before the survey start date, an Accreditation Services Coordinator will contact you to review the survey submission process and answer questions.
Complete and submit the Survey Tool on the assigned survey start date—this is the official start of the survey process.
If required by the Accreditation program, an onsite file review is scheduled approximately 7 weeks after the survey submission.
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3 Earn NCQA Accreditation Your accreditation status is determined within 30 days of the onsite file review or 90 days after survey submission.
Your organization will receive a preliminary report. You have 2 weeks to review it and provide comments and additional documentation.
The entire document, including feedback and onsite file review results, is sent to the Review Oversight Committee, which considers all information to determine your final score.
