In 2026, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) marks an extraordinary milestone: 20 years of advancing medication use quality and improving patient outcomes across the United States.
What began in 2006 as a bold, multi-stakeholder collaboration has grown into one of the most influential quality organizations in American health care – shaping measurement, supporting accountability and elevating the role of pharmacists and other health care professionals who advance medication use in value-based care.
A Vision That Changed the Conversation
PQA stepped into that gap.
As a non-partisan, non-profit, multi-stakeholder alliance, committed to transparency and collaboration, PQA created a trusted forum where diverse stakeholders can align around a shared goal: improving the quality of medication use.
As then-CMS Administrator Mark McClellan described it, PQA would focus on the value of pharmacist-provided care and medication management services.
That vision has endured for two decades.
Supporting Medicare and Value-Based Care
PQA’s most visible contribution has been its impact on the Medicare Part D program. PQA-developed adherence measures for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol became foundational components of the Medicare Star Ratings system.
Those measures didn’t just sit on a scorecard. They positively impacted care and outcomes:
- Health plans invested in medication therapy management.
- Pharmacies implemented adherence programs.
- Data systems evolved to track performance in real time.
- Patients benefited from more consistent, evidence-based medication use.
As these measures became triple-weighted in the Star Ratings, adherence became a strategic imperative. PQA’s work helped ensure that medication use quality was recognized as central to clinical outcomes, patient experience and cost containment.
The 2024 National Impact Assessment of CMS Quality Measures Report supports this assertion. Adherence to medications for cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes helped Medicare beneficiaries avoid up to $29.2 billion in healthcare costs over six years from 2016-21.
Advancing Measure Science and Innovation
Over 20 years, PQA has matured into a national leader in quality measurement, research and education. PQA has not simply created measures—it has advanced the science behind them. Its rigorous consensus-based development process, transparency, and commitment to evidence have made its measures trusted tools across public and private programs.
PQA has also leaned into emerging priorities:
- Advancing pharmacy-level metrics to complement health plan-level measures
- Supporting value-based arrangements between payers and pharmacies
- Addressing the social determinants of health and health disparities
- Exploring the impact of pharmacy access on medication use and outcomes
Through its convening capabilities, PQA has advanced national conversations on the quality of medication management services, oncology, rare disease and artificial intelligence. Every PQA initiative is forward-looking and responsive to the needs and interests of our evolving health care system.
Help Celebrate PQA’s 20th Anniversary! Use this form to share your stories and perspectives on PQA’s work to advance medication use quality. Do you have any photos or mementos from PQA’s 20 years that you can share? Send your pictures to PQA20@pqa.org and your images can be featured in a PQA montage.
A Model of Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
PQA’s enduring strength lies in its structure. It remains a true alliance – bringing together competitors, regulators, diverse clinicians and patient advocates to build consensus around quality.
That model has proven both durable and essential. In a fragmented health care system, PQA has shown that collaboration is not only possible but powerful.
Looking Ahead: The Next 20 Years
As health care continues to evolve – through digital health, personalized medicine, practice evolution and payment reform – high-quality medication use will remain a cornerstone of effective treatment and positive outcomes. With that comes the ongoing need for meaningful, patient-centered quality measurement.
PQA is uniquely positioned to lead this next chapter.
Its work will continue to ensure that medication use is safe, effective, equitable and aligned with outcomes that matter most to patients.
A Legacy of Measurable Impact
Twenty years after its founding, PQA is proof that measurement matters – and that thoughtful, collaborative quality improvement can positively advance health care.
From supporting national accountability programs to empowering frontline pharmacists, PQA has delivered measurable value to the U.S. health care system. Its impact can be seen in safe, appropriate and adherent medication use, improved outcomes, stronger accountability and a clearer recognition of pharmacist-provided and team-based care in driving high-quality, high-value outcomes.
Here’s to 20 years of leadership, partnership, and progress – and to the decades of innovation still ahead.
This blog is the first in a series. Throughout 2026, PQA will celebrate the people, milestones and achievements that have defined the organization’s success. We will also look to the future and PQA’s continuing work to improve the quality of medication use.
PQA’s 20th anniversary celebrations are made possible in part by the generous support of Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Company, Humana and Centene. PQA does not endorse, recommend or favor any product, service or organization that is a sponsor.