What is the difference between Digital Pharmacy Accreditation and Healthcare Merchant Accreditation?
When Digital Pharmacy Accreditation, formerly VIPPS, launched in 1999, it was the first of its kind to face a new type of threat the world had never seen before – websites selling fake and dangerous medicines. Digital Pharmacy Accreditation shows that your company takes patient safety seriously, with rigorous reviews of policies and procedures and an on-site survey necessary for accreditation. Digital Pharmacy Accreditation, which is only available to pharmacies located in the US, is recognized or required by more than 20 state boards of pharmacy.
Healthcare Merchant Accreditation, a global program, is available to a wide range of health care and health care-adjacent business models (eg, pharmacies, telemedicine platforms, prescription discount card programs, and even pharmacy consulting businesses). In contrast to Digital Pharmacy Accreditation, this program does not typically include an in-depth review of policies and procedures, or an on-site survey. Rather, the evaluation is tailored to a specific merchant’s business model and is usually completed remotely. Healthcare Merchant Accreditation meets requirements set by online advertising platforms (eg, Google, Bing, Twitter, Snapchat) and card brand networks (eg, Visa, Mastercard).