StayWell Receives URAC Accreditation for Online Digital Health Content

Yardley, PA (PRWEB) June 29, 2017

The StayWell Company announced today it has received full URAC accreditation as a Health Content Provider (HCP) version 3.1, effective through June 1, 2019, for the digital health content the company delivers via the Consumer Health Library. StayWell has received continuous URAC accreditation (with a review conducted every two years) as a Health Content Provider since 2009.

URAC is an independent leader in promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification, and measurement. URAC is a nonprofit organization developing evidence-based measures and standards through inclusive engagement with a range of stakeholders committed to improving the quality of health care.

URAC accreditation requires applicants to submit policies, procedures, and other organizational information for a robust review. The Health Content Provider accreditation process examines key areas such as disclosures, health content and service delivery, quality oversight committee, policies and procedures, health content and personal health management, and accountability.

"Achieving URAC accreditation demonstrates to our customers and partners our continuing commitment to providing quality content that is accurate, unbiased, and supported by clinical science," said Rachelle Montano, Vice President of Consumer and Marketing Solutions at StayWell. "We follow rigorous standards to ensure the content and tools we deliver to hospitals and health systems across the country meet current clinical standards, as well as best practices for e-learning and patient education. We are proud to once again achieve this level of accreditation."

URAC accreditation is recognized nationwide by federal and state regulators, and assures StayWell clients and end users that StayWell health content is:

• Peer reviewed by at least two health content reviewers, at least one of whom is an expert or specialist in the area under review;
• Developed under ethical business practices that provide quality to consumers based on a national standard;
• Developed with a Quality Oversight Committee in place to oversee the processes; and
• Produced internally by StayWell.

"It is common sense that you cannot believe everything you read on the Internet, but StayWell has gone to great lengths to be an exception by achieving independent Health Content Provider Accreditation from URAC," said URAC President and CEO, Kylanne Green. "With URAC's rigorous and independent accreditation standards for healthcare-related websites that demand disclosure, quality oversights, and accountability, StayWell demonstrates that it can be a trusted source of health information on the Internet."

To view StayWell's company information and URAC accreditation as a Health Content Provider, visit: https://accreditnet2.urac.org:443//uracportal/Directory/CompanyView/3918

To learn more about the accreditation process, visit URAC.org. For more about StayWell's Consumer Health Library, visit StayWell.com.

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About StayWell
StayWell is a health solutions company that uses the science of behavior change to help people live happier, healthier lives. StayWell brings decades of experience working across the health care industry to design solutions for improving individual and organizational health outcomes, managing the health of targeted populations, and creating brand engagement for employers and health care organizations. StayWell programs have received numerous top industry honors, including the C. Everett Koop National Health Award and the Web Health Award for health engagement programs. StayWell also has received URAC and NCQA accreditation for several of its programs. StayWell is majority-owned by Healthcare Services & Solutions, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA ("Merck"). The company is headquartered in Yardley, PA, and also has a major location in St. Paul, MN. To learn more, visit http://www.staywell.com or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Merck
For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and communities around the world - including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, emerging animal diseases, Alzheimer's disease and infectious diseases including HIV and Ebola. For more information, visit http://www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of The StayWell Company, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the "company") includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company's 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).

About URAC
Founded in 1990, URAC is the independent leader in promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification, and measurement. URAC is a nonprofit organization developing evidence-based measures and standards through inclusive engagement with a range of stakeholders committed to improving the quality of health care. Our portfolio of accreditation and certification programs span the health care industry, addressing health care management, health care operations, health plans, pharmacies, telehealth providers, physician practices, and more. URAC accreditation is a symbol of excellence for organizations to showcase their validated commitment to quality and accountability.

Media contact / Barbara Tabor, APR / 651-230-9192 / [email protected]

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