Posts for Category: PQA Blogs
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Top Posters at the 2024 PQA Annual Meeting
The 2024 PQA Annual Meeting poster session featured 23 quality improvement and research projects. Sponsored by Pharmacy Quality Solutions, the session provided an opportunity for authors to showcase their work and for attendees to engage in insightful dialogue about healthcare quality. Awards for the best student poster and the top three posters were selected by a volunteer panel of […] -
Five for Friday May 16: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA will host an all-member webinar on Thursday, May 30, from 1:00-1:30 p.m. ET, to discuss one health plan performance measure that is being considered for retirement: Use of Opioids from Multiple Providers in Persons Without Cancer (OMP). PQA staff will review and respond to themes from the recent public comment period and address questions. […] -
Raising Adherence, Digitally: Survey Highlights Opportunities for Pharmacies and Payers to Boost Medication Compliance
This guest blog is one in a series by sponsors of the 2024 PQA Annual Meeting on a survey which highlights opportunities for pharmacies and payers to boost medication compliance. PQA does not endorse, recommend or favor any product, service or organization that is a sponsor. As pharmacies evolve and embrace digital communications, patient preferences […] -
Five for Friday May 3: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
The 2024 PQA Annual Meeting is just 10 days away! The PQA Annual Meeting consistently brings together stakeholders from across healthcare focused on improving quality medication use. Connecting with old colleagues, and making new acquaintances, is consistently a top-rated benefit of the meeting. . There will be various networking opportunities, all of which will take place in our Industry […] -
Q&A with 2024-25 Executive Fellow
The PQA Postdoctoral Executive Fellowship helps produce the next generation of leaders in health care quality through a full-time, 12-month program. Executive Fellows collaborate with PQA staff, members and other stakeholders on a variety of initiatives to improve medication use quality. During the fellowship, individuals will expand their skills and experience in project management, quality […] -
2025 PQA Annual Meeting Features Almost 20 Research Posters
The 2025 PQA Annual Meeting poster session will showcase 19 quality improvement and research projects. This session provides authors a venue to exhibit their work and enables attendees to engage in insightful discussions about health care quality. The poster session complements the meeting’s array of educational programming, which includes four general sessions, 15 breakout sessions and […] -
Five for Friday April 19: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Collaboration is one of PQA’s greatest attributes, and our measure development process embodies how our diverse member organizations reach consensus on evaluating medication use quality. The public comment period is an important part of our systematic and transparent consensus-based process. This week, we opened a public comment period for one health plan performance measure that is being considered for […] -
2024 PQA Annual Meeting Features Almost Two Dozen Research Posters
The upcoming 2024 PQA Annual Meeting’s poster session will showcase 23 quality improvement and research projects. Sponsored by Pharmacy Quality Solutions, this session offers authors a platform to exhibit their work and enables attendees to engage in insightful discussions about healthcare quality. The posters complement the meeting’s array of educational programming, which includes four general […] -
PQA Annual Meeting Features Cross-Sector Collaboration to Improve Quality Use Medication
Have you made your plans to attend the 2024 PQA Annual Meeting? This year’s meeting will be held in Baltimore from May 14 -16. Early registration ends Friday, April 19; register today to take advantage of the member discount! You won’t find many national meetings featuring the cross-sector collaboration that defines PQA’s approach to improving medication […] -
Five for Friday April 5: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
The 2024 PQA Annual Meeting is less than six weeks away, and we are excited to welcome you all back to Baltimore! Tuesday, April 9, is the final day to take advantage of the PQA hotel discount. Don’t miss out! Make your room reservations at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. The early registration deadline for […] -
PQA Welcomes 11 New Members
PQA is a non-profit organization with 250 diverse members across healthcare. Our members include community and specialty pharmacy organizations, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, pharmacies, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, life sciences, technology vendors, government agencies, health information technology partners, researchers, accrediting organizations and academia. New organizations regularly join PQA throughout the year. This blog […] -
A New Day for PQA
Today is an exciting and important day for PQA. The PQA Board of Directors completed the sale of all of PQA’s shares in Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS) to Innovaccer, a San Francisco, CA based healthcare technology company with a platform unifying patient data across systems and care settings. A statement from our Board Chair, Susan Cantrell, […] -
Five for Friday March 22: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Have you made your plans to join us at the 2024 PQA Annual Meeting, May 14-16, in Baltimore? There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available to attendees who want to maximize their involvement at the meeting. We are looking for volunteers for education session moderators, first-timer session volunteers, poster judges and student mentors. Learn more about […] -
Five for Friday March 8: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
February 29 was Rare Disease Day, providing an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of rare diseases. Ensuring the quality of medication use is critically important for rare disease patients, payers, clinicians, specialty pharmacies and everyone with a role in the care process. We are in the early stages of planning an event, PQA Convenes: Quality Medication […] -
Rare Disease Day and a Focus on Quality
Today is Rare Disease Day. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of rare diseases. There are more than 10,000 known rare diseases and only a few hundred have safe, effective treatments. In the United States, rare disease affects about one in 10 people. The burden and cost of treating rare disease is […] -
Five for Friday February 23: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA is working with its members and the broader medication therapy management (MTM) community to build consensus on the research, measurement and strategies needed to evolve our national approach to evaluating MTM service quality. Join us next Thursday, February 29, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET., for a PQA webinar on finalizing a Call to Action to Advance the Quality of […] -
New Members Appointed to Serve on Education Advisory Council
As a healthcare quality educator, PQA offers a wide range of learning and education opportunities. The goal of our education programs is to promote the use and impact of PQA measures and advance the quality of medication use through research, strategic partnerships, collaboration and a variety of learning venues. PQA has appointed individuals from member […] -
PQA’s Commitment to Engaging Individuals and Communities as Partners in Quality
Patients, caregivers, family members and advocates have a critical role to play in high-quality medication use. They provide unique and valuable insights about what is important and meaningful in medication use quality, which supports the development of appropriate and useful quality measures, as well as related education, research and tools that support informed health care […] -
PQA Recognizes the Life and Mourns the Passing of Dr. Jeffrey Kelman
PQA mourns the passing of CMS Chief Medical Officer Jeffrey Kelman, MD, MMSc. Kelman served on the PQA Board of Directors for 10 years and most recently served on the board as a CMS Special Advisor. Kelman was a trusted advisor to PQA since its establishment in 2006. He was kind, generous and thoughtful in […] -
PCORI Priorities for Addressing SDOH in Pharmacy Settings
PQA and the Patient Advocate Foundation convened a diverse group of patients and pharmacy stakeholders in 2022 to identify and prioritize patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) topics and evidence needed to improve social determinants of health (SDOH) screening and interventions in the pharmacy setting. A new article on this work has been published by the Journal […] -
Five for Friday February 9: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Join us as we head back to Baltimore for the 2024 PQA Annual Meeting, May 14-16! Registration is open, so make your plans now to join us and other quality professionals at the premier event for medication use quality. Enhance the impact of your attendance by becoming a sponsor of the meeting. The benefits of sponsorship include […] -
Persistence to Basal Insulin Association With Improved Health Outcomes
Insulin persistence is associated with positive health and economic outcomes, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Mississippi, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA), and Ohio Northern University, the results of which were published in Clinical Diabetes in December of 2023. The study highlights the promising applicability of a method to measure […] -
Five Actionable Insights for Successful SDOH Initiatives
There is tremendous momentum and a keen focus among PQA member organizations on addressing social determinants and social drivers of health (SDOH). SDOH impacts every aspect of care, including medication use, and the impact of unmet health-related social needs on patient access and use of care, outcomes, total cost of care, well-being and satisfaction is […] -
Five for Friday January 26: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA has released a third edition of the PQA Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Resource Guide, which profiles 40 SDOH services, including eight new services and updates to 10 initiatives from the previous two editions. The guide covers services that address at least one of seven SDOH barriers, plus expands the number of interventions that focus […] -
Q&A with PQA Chief Operating Officer Melissa Viscovich
PQA’s talented staff is dedicated to improving medication safety, adherence and appropriate use. As experts in measure development, research, education and convening, they lead the implementation of PQA’s quality initiatives to support better medication use and high-quality care. This blog is one in a series profiling PQA’s staff. Melissa Viscovich is PQA’s Chief Operating Officer. […] -
Five for Friday January 12: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Save the date for the 2024 PQA Annual Meeting, May 14-16, in Baltimore, Md. Registration for this year’s meeting will open on January 30. Our team is developing an agenda focused on the top issues in medication use quality and performance measure implementation. You won’t want to miss these insightful, actionable sessions or the many […] -
Fourteen Individuals Participate in Inaugural PQA Quality Shadowing Program
To build a larger and more diverse quality workforce, the PQA Quality Shadowing Program provides individuals from diverse groups the opportunity to observe certain nomination-based panels to gain knowledge that can support selection for future panels. This opportunity is designed for early career professionals and individuals who are interested in quality but have not had […] -
PQA’s Top 5 Blogs of 2023
PQA has published more than 80 blogs this year, providing insights and updates on our work to improve medication use quality. As we close out 2023, here’s a look back at the top five blogs of the year. Building Consensus on Priorities for Improving Oncology Quality Measurement (August 29)PQA released an important report that we believe is a […] -
Highlighting the Achievements of 2023
As we near the end of 2023, it’s a great time to reflect on our accomplishments this year. Certainly, each year brings its share of opportunities and challenges, and I’m proud of our progress as an alliance. One important aspect that is unwavering from year to year is the passion and dedication of our […] -
Elevating Clinical Quality Assurance: The AI Advancement at MedWatchers
This guest blog is one in a series by sponsors of the 2023 PQA Leadership Summit on elevating clinical quality assurance. The views shared in this series are those of the author and do not reflect any PQA positions. In the heart of communities, pharmacists stand as the lifelines of accessible healthcare education. Through Medication […] -
PQA Appoints New Members to Serve on MUP and QMEP in 2024
PQA has appointed individuals from member organizations to serve on the 2024 PQA Measure Update Panel (MUP) and Quality Metrics Expert Panel (QMEP). The panelists self-nominated and were selected by PQA staff to create a balanced group that represents PQA’s membership and includes relevant expertise. Measure Update Panel (MUP) The MUP is a select group of approximately 25 PQA members who recommend or review potential updates to PQA-endorsed […] -
Five for Friday December 15: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA is working with its members and the broader medication therapy management (MTM) community to build consensus on the research, measurement and strategies needed to evolve our national approach to evaluating MTM service quality. PQA invites your comments on a draft call to action through Friday, January 12, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Comments may be submitted by individuals and organizations, and […] -
Public Comment Sought: Draft Call to Action to Advance MTM Quality Measurement
PQA is working with its members and the broader medication therapy management (MTM) community to build consensus on the research, measurement and strategies needed to evolve our national approach to evaluating MTM service quality. Informed by a robust environmental scan and a November 2 national convening event, PQA has drafted a call to action that includes eight […] -
Diabetes Medications, Weight Loss Indications, and What It Means for Quality Measurement
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how the body produces or uses insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.1 In the US, 34.2 million adults have diabetes, and 1 in 5 are unaware of their diagnosis.2 Medication is a mainstay in diabetes treatment, and a wide variety of medication classes are used to […] -
Diverse Voices in Quality: Sujith Ramachandran
Diverse Voices in Quality is a PQA blog series that showcases the successful career paths and experiences of medication use quality professionals from diverse groups at PQA member organizations. A part of PQA’s Diverse Quality Leaders Program, this series celebrates the achievements of our members who reflect our nation’s diversity and provides everyone with insights and inspiration […] -
Five for Friday December 1: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA’s strategic plan, Blueprint PQA 2025, includes the vision of achieving organizational excellence through structure and processes that deliver exceptional value to our members and stakeholders. In support of this goal, PQA has performed a review of its bylaws and proposes revisions which modernize and streamline this important governing document. Our Board of Directors unanimously approved […] -
Quality Essentials Review: Strategies for Reducing Polypharmacy to Improve Medication Safety
The PQA Quality Essentials Webinar series provides education on the fundamentals of quality measurement, which is important for effective measure implementation and performance, and information about where and how PQA quality measures are used. The September 14, 2023, PQA Quality Essentials Webinar welcomed members of PQA’s Performance Measurement team and speakers from Kaiser Permanente to […] -
Five for Friday November 17: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Ten years ago, PQA established a Postdoctoral Executive Fellowship. The program has hosted 13 fellows, and everyone has successfully completed the program and moved into an important industry role, where they are leaders in pharmacy, medication services and quality improvement. Applications for the 2024-25 fellowship positions are due November 28. It’s an incredible opportunity to join the nation’s only quality organization that is […] -
The PQA Executive Fellowship: Developing Tomorrow’s Quality Leaders
Ten years ago, PQA established a Postdoctoral Executive Fellowship. The program has hosted 13 fellows, and everyone has successfully completed the program and moved into an important industry role, where they are leaders in pharmacy, medication services and quality improvement. Applications for the 2024-25 fellowship positions are due November 28. It’s an incredible opportunity to […] -
EQUIPP® Enhanced Services
This guest blog is one in a series by sponsors of the 2023 PQA Leadership Summit on EQUIPP enhanced services. The views shared in this series are those of the author and do not reflect any PQA positions. In 2023, more than 50 million patients were enrolled in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan […] -
Five for Friday November 3: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA offers a variety of student and professional programs, including experiential rotations, internships and fellowships. Each is focused on providing health care quality experience to diverse individuals from diverse disciplines. PQA is now accepting applications for our student and professional programs for 2024-2025. Visit our student programs page and learn more about the educational opportunities below. We […] -
Five for Friday October 20: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
We are excited to host members in two weeks at the 2023 PQA Leadership Summit and PQA Convenes: Advancing Medication Therapy Management Quality Measurement. This year’s summit will advance measure modernization, while the convening event will address the state of MTM practice and opportunities to evolve MTM measurement. Leadership Summit attendees are invited to participate in both events. PQA Convenes […] -
Five for Friday October 6: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA has released the entire Medication Use Quality continuing education program and Medication Use Quality Certificate, which is a fully updated version of the program that was initially released in 2020. The updated program consists of the 15-hour Medication Use Quality Certificate and eight individual courses that are 2 to 3 hours each that deliver the certificate program’s content in […] -
PQA’s APPE Rotation: Experiential Learning for Pharmacy Students
PQA offers a competitive Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiential (APPE) Rotation for pharmacy students, which provides experiential learning opportunities in non-profit association management, medication use quality education, communications, research and performance measurement. PQA works with individual students to align their rotation experience with desired career goals and interests. Applications for the 2024-25 year are now being accepted. You can apply here. Visit our Student Programs page for more information. Courtney Smith, Ohio Northern University […] -
PQA Welcomes Five New Members
PQA is a non-profit organization with 250 diverse members across healthcare. Our members include community and specialty pharmacy organizations, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, pharmacies, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, life sciences, technology vendors, government agencies, health information technology partners, researchers, accrediting organizations and academia. New organizations regularly join PQA throughout the year. This blog […] -
Diverse Voices in Quality: Michelle Juhanson
Diverse Voices in Quality is a PQA blog series that showcases the successful career paths and experiences of medication use quality professionals from diverse groups at PQA member organizations. A part of PQA’s Diverse Quality Leaders Program, this series celebrates the achievements of our members who reflect our nation’s diversity and provides everyone with insights and […] -
Convening to Advance MTM Service Quality Measurement
Registration has opened for “PQA Convenes: Advancing Medication Therapy Management Quality Measurement,” which will take place on Thursday, November 2 in Arlington, Va. This invite-only event will bring together PQA members and industry experts to discuss the state of medication therapy management (MTM) practice, implications of recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposals and opportunities […] -
Five for Friday September 22: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
This has been an exciting year for PQA! We continue to play a central role in driving meaningful improvements and positive changes related to medication safety, adherence and appropriate use. The 2023 PQA Annual Report documents our progress towards Blueprint PQA 2025. It is a collection of accomplishments from September 2022 to August 2023 and captures the efforts […] -
The Medication Use Quality Certificate is Available for All Knowledge Levels
PQA has released the entire Medication Use Quality continuing education program and Medication Use Quality Certificate, which is a fully updated version of the program that was initially released in 2020. The updated program consists of the 15-hour Medication Use Quality Certificate and eight individual courses that are 2 to 3 hours each that deliver the certificate […] -
PQA Seeks Pharmacy and Payer Partners for Adult Immunization Pilots
The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) seeks interested pharmacy and payer partners to participate in proof-of-concept pilots to implement and test high priority immunization pharmacy measure concepts. PQA has issued a request for interest (RFI) to gauge interest and willingness to participate in these pilots. The RFI and pilot process timeline is: These pilots are designed […] -
Five for Friday September 8: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Last week, PQA released an important report, Recommendations to Improve the Quality of Oral Anticancer Medication Use, which we believe is a key step towards improving the quality of care of individuals using oral anticancer medications (OAM). The uniqueness of OAMs, including complex treatment regimens, variable dosing schedules, and temporary and intentional discontinuation of therapy, present distinct […] -
Top of the 7th for 2023
At PQA, you may have noticed that we appreciate sports analogies. Earlier this summer, PQA CEO Micah Cost discussed what baseball and quality measures have in common. In keeping with the baseball theme, PQA is entering the top of the 7th for 2023, and there is still plenty of time for members to get in […] -
Building Consensus on Priorities for Improving Oncology Quality Measurement
PQA released today an important report that we believe is a key step towards improving the quality of care for individuals using oral anticancer medications (OAM). Working with our staff, 23 national oncology experts and patients have concluded that PQA’s top measurement priority should be a health plan performance measure to assess the degree to […] -
Five for Friday August 25: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
We are excited to announce that registration has opened for the 2023 PQA Leadership Summit and PQA Convenes: Advancing Medication Therapy Management Quality Measurement. This year’s summit will focus on measure modernization and PQA’s role in the national effort to advance and align measures across providers and value-based programs. This PQA Convenes event is part of […] -
Quality Forum Review: Exploring Food and Nutrition Security’s Impact on Quality
The PQA Quality Forum Webinar is a regular, recurring series on healthcare quality topics with a focus on medication use and medication services. It is a forum for educating and engaging with PQA members and quality-focused healthcare professionals. PQA’s July 20, 2023, Quality Forum welcomed Catherine Macpherson, MS, RDN, the Senior Vice President of Healthcare […] -
PQA Welcomes Two New Fellows for 2023-24 Program Year
The PQA Postdoctoral Executive Fellowship helps produce the next generation of leaders in health care quality through a full-time, 12-month program. Executive Fellows collaborate with PQA staff, members and other stakeholders on a variety of initiatives to improve medication use quality. During the fellowship, individuals will expand their skills and experience in project management, quality measure design and implementation, non-profit administration and association management, and health care […] -
New Look for PQA Webinars
PQA’s webinars have a new look! Throughout the year, PQA provides various education opportunities to promote the use and impact of PQA measures and advance the quality of medication use. With a focus on new developments and best practices, our goal is to help quality-focused healthcare professionals in a variety of practice settings expand their […] -
Build Expertise in Calculating Measures
Foundational information on the structure of measure specifications and value sets is valuable for users of quality measures, accountable entities, or those learning about the basics of measure calculation. PQA’s Medication Use Quality continuing education program course, “Building Expertise in Calculating Measures,” provides a detailed overview of topics essential to calculating quality measures, such as reading […] -
Five for Friday August 11: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA has several exciting opportunities for members to engage in our work in the coming months. Chris Kotschevar and I will be in San Diego next week for the NACDS Total Store Expo and would love to connect with our members there. Learn more about our commitment to standardized pharmacy measures below and how you […] -
Building a Quality Improvement Foundation
Creating a quality improvement plan can seem daunting to many, but it is vital for value-based care and improved patient quality. PQA’s Medication Use Quality continuing education program course, “Quality Improvement Foundation,” was designed to provide realistic approaches to implementing a quality improvement plan in a variety of settings. PQA’s Director of Education, Amanda Ryan, […] -
Five for Friday July 28: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Medication therapy management (MTM) is an important tool to help patients get the best results from the medications they’re taking. However, as our health care system shifts toward patient-centered and value-based care models, there is a need to advance how we evaluate the quality of MTM services. This can support the broader implementation of standardized […] -
Aiming for the Next Generation of MTM Quality Measures
PQA has launched the PQA Quality Innovation and Research Initiative to Advance Medication Therapy Management Quality Measurement – a national initiative to advance medication therapy management (MTM) quality measurement and other strategies to evaluate MTM services. The launch of this initiative is a bit of a full-circle moment for me. Earlier in my career, I […] -
Five for Friday July 14: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
The 2023 MLB All-Star Game was this week. It’s an annual showcase featuring the most talented individuals who step onto the diamond every day. All-Stars have to be at the top of their game across the entire first half of the season. Getting six hits in your first 10 at-bats won’t make you an All-Star, […] -
Special Topics Impacting Quality
Health information technology and public policy are two topics in health care that are continually evolving, as is their impact on medication use quality. With those factors in mind, the next Medication Use Quality continuing education program course, “Special Topics Impacting Quality,” will provide a framework to understand each topic and resources to locate additional […] -
Five for Friday June 30: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA is once again preparing to expand the PQA Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Resource Guide! As we work to develop the third edition we are seeking new initiatives and feedback on how our members and other quality stakeholders have used the guide. We have developed a short survey about the use of the guide. Your thoughts […] -
Equity and SDOH in Medication Use Quality
PQA has released an additional course to the Medication Use Quality continuing education program. “Equity and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in Medication Use Quality” dives into foundational information about health equity concepts and external factors that may impact health outcomes and medication use quality, including SDOH. In the three years since the program was […] -
Five for Friday June 16: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Medication Therapy Management (MTM) is an important tool to help patients get the best results from the medications they’re taking. In a new viewpoint article from PQA, Merck and the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, we present three reasons for new MTM quality measures and offer recommendations on next steps to achieve this. The current MTM […] -
Students Expand Healthcare and Quality Knowledge
PQA provides healthcare quality experience to students from a wide variety of disciplines. This summer, we are hosting three students through our PQA Summer Executive Internship sponsored by Pharmacy Quality Solutions. They are adding medication safety, adherence and appropriate use experience to their professional training. We recently invited them to answer five questions about the work they are doing, where […] -
Diverse Voices in Quality: Norris Turner
Diverse Voices in Quality is a new PQA blog series that showcases the successful career paths and experiences of medication use quality professionals from diverse groups at PQA member organizations. A part of PQA’s Diverse Quality Leaders Program, this series celebrates the achievements of our members who reflect our nation’s diversity and provides everyone with insights […] -
Five for Friday June 2: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Yesterday we launched the updated Medication Use Quality continuing education program! We’ve made significant updates across the entire program to meet the current and future needs of quality improvement and medication use experts. The updated program addresses and expands on top issues that will shape quality for years to come, including value-based care, measurement science, social determinants of […] -
PQA Welcomes Four New Members
PQA is a non-profit organization with 250 diverse members across healthcare. Our members include community and specialty pharmacy organizations, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, pharmacies, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, life sciences, technology vendors, government agencies, health information technology partners, researchers, accrediting organizations and academia. New organizations regularly join PQA throughout the year. This blog […] -
Top Posters at the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting
The 2023 PQA Annual Meeting poster session featured 24 quality improvement and research projects. Sponsored by Pharmacy Quality Solutions, the session provided an opportunity for authors to showcase their work and for attendees to engage in insightful dialogue about health care quality. Awards for the best student poster and the top three posters were […] -
A New Look Representing the Importance of Quality Medication Use
PQA has a new look! Our fresh and modernized logo and color scheme reflect our positive, forward-looking view of the vital role of medications in health care – and our role in bringing the industry together to improve quality. PQA is proud to be the national association that unites the health care industry in support […] -
Five for Friday May 19: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
You may have noticed that PQA has a new look! Our fresh and modernized logo and color scheme reflects our positive, forward-looking view of the vital role of medications in health care – and our role in bringing the industry together to improve quality. PQA is proud to be the national association that unites the health care industry in support of quality medication use. As such, we […] -
Five for Friday May 5: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Health outcomes can be influenced by many factors other than the health care services received, including patient-related factors such as existing clinical conditions and sociodemographic status (SDS), which refers to a variety of socioeconomic and demographic factors. While risk adjustment for clinical conditions is a common consideration for quality measures in certain situations (particularly outcome measures), consensus on […] -
PQA Appoints 19 Individuals to Health Equity TEP
PQA has appointed 19 individuals from member organizations to serve on a technical expert panel (TEP) to review and provide input on specific approaches to ensuring PQA’s measures support equitable health care. The Health Equity TEP will assess PQA’s health equity strategy, including stratification (including variables for both measure testing and implementation in quality programs) and risk […] -
Hear from 50 Quality Experts at the PQA Annual Meeting
The 2023 PQA Annual Meeting is May 10-12 in Nashville, Tenn. You’ll hear from more than 50 speakers across our general, breakout and special sessions. These national-leading speakers will share expert insights and best practices on how to improve medication use quality from every angle in the industry. Throughout the meeting you’ll find participants working […] -
Maximize Your Meetings Budget with PQA
Is your team dealing with limited travel and meetings budgets for 2023? Let PQA be part of the strategy to ensure your staff has robust and in-person opportunities for networking, professional development, continuing education, and strategic engagement with business partners and prospects. The 2023 PQA Annual Meeting, May 10-12 in Nashville, Tenn., is one of most affordable […] -
Five for Friday April 7: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
The 2023 PQA Annual Meeting is less than five weeks away, and we are excited to welcome you all to Nashville! Today is the final day to take advantage of the PQA hotel discount. Make your room reservations at the Omni Nashville Hotel now, as rooms are limited and not guaranteed after today. The early […] -
Quality Forum Review: Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS) Trend Report in Pharmacy Quality for 2022
The PQA Quality Forum Webinar is a regular, recurring series on healthcare quality topics with a focus on medication use and medication services. It is a forum for educating and engaging with PQA members and quality-focused healthcare professionals. PQA’s February 16, 2023, Quality Forum welcomed Andrew Thorne, PharmD, MS, Senior Manager, Data Analytics at Pharmacy […] -
Over Two Dozen Posters at the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting
The 2023 PQA Annual Meeting poster session will feature 25 quality improvement and research projects. Sponsored by Pharmacy Quality Solutions, the session provides an opportunity for authors to showcase their work and for attendees to engage in insightful dialogue about health care quality. The posters enhance the meeting’s other educational programming: four general sessions, 15 breakout sessions – most accredited for continuing education, and a special pre-meeting half-day […] -
Five for Friday March 24: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA has launched two opportunities for members to self-nominate to participate in two Technical Expert Panels (TEP). The Health Equity TEP will review how PQA measures can be a tool to foster health equity by producing recommendations related to stratification for quality measures. The Specialty Pharmacy Prescription Abandonment Rate Measure Development TEP will define a measure around primary abandonment rate of specialty pharmacy prescriptions. […] -
PQA Will Convene Stakeholders to Advance the Quality of Medication Therapy Management
PQA will bring its members and industry experts together on November 2 to discuss the state of medication therapy management (MTM) practice, implications of recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposals and opportunities to evolve MTM quality measurement. This in-person, one-day event, “PQA Convenes: Advancing the Quality of Medication Therapy Management,” will take place […] -
PQA Quality Shadowing Program Builds a Deeper, More Diverse Bench for Measure Development
Shadowing programs are a great way to gain knowledge and insights about technical programs and processes. At PQA, our work to develop measures that matter involves a systematic, transparent and consensus-based process that includes a variety of member panels across the measure lifecycle. Led by PQA’s measure development staff, the panels inform our work to […] -
PQA Measures in CMS Quality Programs
PQA uses a systematic, transparent, and consensus-based process to conceptualize, specify, test, and endorse quality measures. Following endorsement by PQA’s membership, PQA measures can be implemented into various quality programs, including those maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Many PQA measures are used in CMS Quality Programs to evaluate safe and […] -
PQA Annual Meeting Diversity in Quality Scholarships Provide Opportunities for a New Generation of Leaders
The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) is providing scholarships for minority health care professional students to attend the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting, May 10-12, in Nashville, Tenn., and participate in the pre-meeting Medication Use Quality (MUQ) Live workshop on May 10. This scholarship opportunity is part of the PQA Diverse Quality Leaders Program. The Diversity in […] -
Five for Friday March 10: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA has launched two proof-of-concept pilots to implement four promising blood pressure and hemoglobin A1C pharmacy measure concepts in value-based payment arrangements (VBAs) between payers and pharmacies. . The pilots are critical for validating novel measure concepts, by providing assurance that our specifications can be consistently interpreted and applied to effectively measure the quality of pharmacist-provided […] -
Quality Forum Review: PQA’s Expanded SDOH Resource Guide
The PQA Quality Forum Webinar is a regular, recurring series on healthcare quality topics with a focus on medication use and medication services. It is a forum for educating and engaging with PQA members and quality-focused healthcare professionals. The January 19 PQA Quality Forum webinar welcomed Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy […] -
PQA Welcomes Eight New Members
PQA is a non-profit organization with 250 diverse members across healthcare. Our members include community and specialty pharmacy organizations, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, pharmacies, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, life sciences, technology vendors, government agencies, health information technology partners, researchers, accrediting organizations and academia. New organizations regularly join PQA throughout the year. This blog […] -
Five for Friday February 24: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA has launched a new scholarship program to help pharmacy and other health care professions students from diverse backgrounds attend the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting, May 10-12, in Nashville, Tenn. This Diversity in Quality Scholarship opportunity is part of the PQA Diverse Quality Leaders Program and our commitment to build a quality workforce that represents the nation’s diversity. Learn more about this scholarship and […] -
Participate in the Measure Development Process in 2023
In the year ahead, PQA will continue developing innovative measure approaches for high-impact areas of care. From technical expert panels, stakeholder advisory meetings, the measure endorsement vote and convening events focused on future measure opportunities, PQA members have the opportunity to be involved each step of the way! This series introduced how to ensure you stay […] -
Diversity Scholarships and a Quality Training Program: New Student Opportunities at PQA
PQA has launched a new scholarship program to help pharmacy and other health care professions students from diverse backgrounds attend the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting, May 10-12, in Nashville, Tenn. This program is open to students who have completed at least their second year of study in a pharmacy or other health care degree program – and are part of racial, […] -
Five for Friday February 10: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA’s 2023 calendar is shaping up to be full of opportunities for members to engage in our work and advance the quality of medication use. PQA is building on the momentum we gained in 2022, and there will be many opportunities to engage this year through our meetings and convening events, education programs, measure development […] -
Education Opportunities In 2023
PQA’s education team has a lot on deck for 2023, focused on the latest in best practices and innovative approaches to improve quality medication use. PQA started the year by publishing the second edition of the PQA Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Resource Guide and will continue education offerings through quality forum webinars, highlighting PQA […] -
Five for Friday January 27: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
We are excited to announce that registration for the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting will open next week. This year’s meeting is May 10-12 in Nashville. Tenn. Be on the lookout for that registration link to reserve your spot at the top event for medication-focused quality improvement professionals. Enhance the return on your attendance by becoming a […] -
Convene With PQA Members
PQA’s 2023 calendar is full of opportunities to engage in our work and advance the quality of medication use. PQA meetings and convening events are just one example of how members can engage with the wide array of health care stakeholders from across our membership. The first blog in this series introduced the opportunities available throughout the […] -
2023 Outlook: Insights on Pharmacy, Medication Use and High-Quality, Value-Based Care
It’s a new year and there are several big things on the horizon to keep an eye on in pharmacy, medication use and high-quality, value-based care. PQA CEO Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, CAE, shared his outlook for 2023 in a January Chain Drug Review opinion column. With our strategic plan, Blueprint PQA 2025, PQA has […] -
Five for Friday January 13: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
PQA published the second edition of the PQA Social Determinants of Health Resource Guide this week. The expanded guide profiles 32 SDOH services, including 12 new services and updates to nine initiatives from the first edition. Healthcare practitioners have taken a variety of approaches to address SDOH factors impacting the communities they serve. This edition […] -
Opportunities in 2023
PQA’s 2023 calendar is shaping up to be full of opportunities for members to engage in our work and advance the quality of medication use. PQA is building on the momentum we gained in 2022, and there will be many opportunities to engage in our: In the coming weeks, we’ll feature a blog on each […] -
PQA Appoints New Members to Serve on MUP and QMEP
PQA has appointed individuals from member organizations to serve on the 2023 PQA Measure Update Panel (MUP) and Quality Metrics Expert Panel (QMEP). The panelists self-nominated and were selected by PQA staff to create a balanced group that represents PQA’s membership and includes relevant expertise. Measure Update Panel (MUP) The MUP is a select group of approximately 25 PQA members who recommend or review […]