What is the “Affiliate Standard”?
All accredited healthcare merchants must comply with our ten rigorous standards. Standard 10 (the “Affiliate Standard”) requires that a merchant’s Affiliates must also comply with all program standards. For purposes of our program, the term “Affiliate” is defined broadly to include any entity that:
- shares or has shared in the past 12 months ownership with the merchant; or
- may be involved, either directly or indirectly, in the merchant’s services.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- An entity that shares or has shared in the past 12 months an owner, control, or management level staff with the merchant;
- An entity that shares contact information, such as a phone number or street address, with the merchant;
- An entity that has a formal or informal business relationship with the merchant or its principals;
- Any entity involved in the chain of patient care (eg, downstream fulfillment pharmacies, upstream telemedicine platforms, medical providers); and
- Any website to which the merchant’s website(s) link.
Our Affiliate Standard is intended to be applied broadly in order to protect patient safety.