What We Can Learn From the Open Credentialing Initiative (OCI) and Its Credentialing Efforts in the Pharmaceutical Industry

The Open Credentialing Initiative (OCI) is an incubator project of The Center for Supply Chain Studies working to achieve patient safety and credentialing goals for the entire pharmaceutical industry that will be familiar to C4UHC members.

The Open Credentialing Initiative (OCI) is an incubator project of The Center for Supply Chain Studies working to achieve patient safety and credentialing goals for the entire pharmaceutical industry that will be familiar to C4UHC members.

Many entities are involved in the manufacture, packaging, distribution and dispensing of pharmaceuticals. To safeguard patient safety, it is essential that trusted and authorized parties are involved in this process full of decentralized, multiple touchpoints.

To help ensure safety more efficiently, Congress passed the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) in 2013 to prevent illegitimate or recalled drug products on the market. The act called for the creation of an electronic system by November 2023 to track and trace certain prescription drugs in the U.S. to:

  • Prevent harmful drugs from entering the supply chain
  • Detect harmful drugs that have entered the supply chain
  • Respond rapidly when harmful drugs are found

Founded in April 2021, the non-profit OCI connects companies representing all pharmaceutical supply chain segments, trading partners, solution providers, and standards organizations to support the industry in complying with the DSCSA.

When these entities interact, they must check and confirm that the other party is an authorized partner in order to proceed. The OCI has been crucial in evolving, validating, and standardizing the piloted credentialing architecture that now stands as the only available solution for authorized partner checks to meet this year’s DSCSA deadline.

To amplify relevant lessons around the OCI’s efforts in decentralized environments, we are sharing the recent Pharmaceutical Commerce article “Closing A Key Gap in DSCSA Compliance” by Christiane Wirrig, PhD which outlines the organization’s work in establishing digital proof of identity, licensure stature, and authorship using digital wallets and verifiable credentials.

Read the complete column by clicking this link.

About C4UHC

The mission of the Consortium for Universal Healthcare Credentialing, Inc. (C4UHC), a 501 (c)(6) tax-exempt corporation, is to promote the common business interests of organizations connected with the healthcare industry in order to advance American National Standards for a streamlined healthcare credentialing process. This will protect patient safety and confidentiality, eliminate duplicative efforts and costs, and meet the needs of both healthcare providers and suppliers.