PQA is developing a national recognition program for community pharmacies to help distinguish those that consistently deliver high-quality care and are ready to engage in value-based arrangements. The program is centered around four important areas of care delivery in a connected health care ecosystem:
- Patient-centered approaches to care
- Collaborative team-based care
- Quality improvement and health equity
- Data exchange capabilities
In this Q&A blog, Jasmine Strayhorn, PharmD, CPHQ, Director of the Pharmacy Quality Recognition Program and Lynn Pezzullo, RPh, Vice President of Quality Innovation, discuss the program.
What is the PQA Pharmacy Quality Recognition Program?
The Pharmacy Quality Recognition Program (PQRP) is a voluntary program that evaluates and recognizes community pharmacies that demonstrate their commitment to continuous quality improvement, health equity, patient-centered collaborative care, and data exchange capabilities.
The program provides a structured framework that helps pharmacies assess and strengthen their quality capabilities while differentiating organizations that go beyond traditional dispensing functions to deliver advanced clinical and value-based care services. Recognition is awarded to the individual pharmacy location and is based on demonstrated implementation of defined quality-related concepts and activities.
What prompted PQA to develop the program?
PQA developed the PQRP to advance pharmacy quality and support the evolving role of community pharmacies in value-based care. As healthcare increasingly focuses on quality measurement, patient outcomes, and coordinated care, PQA recognized the need for a program that identifies and distinguishes community pharmacies committed to continuous quality improvement and patient-centered care. PQRP builds on PQA’s long-standing leadership in pharmacy quality measurement and takes a holistic approach to evaluating pharmacy capabilities, services, and quality practices.
Who is the program designed for?
PQRP is designed for all community pharmacies, including single-location and multi-site independent pharmacies and chain pharmacies. Whether a pharmacy is just beginning to expand clinical services or has a mature quality program, the PQRP provides a pathway to demonstrate its commitment to high-quality care and ongoing improvement.
What makes this program different from other recognition or quality programs?
PQRP is a voluntary recognition program that focuses on how pharmacies deliver care and demonstrate quality-focused capabilities rather than serving as a regulatory or accreditation requirement. The program takes a holistic view of pharmacy quality, evaluating clinical services, operational capabilities, infrastructure, patient experience, health equity, quality improvement, collaborative care, and progress toward interoperability. It recognizes both foundational and advanced pharmacy practices through required core concepts and flexible elective concepts, allowing pharmacies to showcase areas of excellence and innovation.
PQRP is intentionally aligned with patient-centered care and value-based care principles, emphasizing activities such as chronic condition management, medication optimization, care coordination, and continuous quality improvement. The program also includes domains focused on health equity and data exchange capabilities, reflecting areas of growing importance to healthcare stakeholders.
What value will this recognition bring to participating organizations?
The PQRP is designed to help pharmacies demonstrate and elevate the value they bring to patients, communities, and healthcare partners. Recognition provides an independent acknowledgement of a pharmacy’s commitment to high-quality, patient-centered care, differentiating them in an increasingly competitive healthcare environment. The program offers a structured framework to strengthen quality capabilities, support operational and clinical transformation, and prepare for participation in value-based payment opportunities.
What should pharmacies do if they’re interested in participating?
Organizations interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to attend the 2026 PQA Leadership Summit, November 5-6, in Arlington, Va., which is solely focused on the PQRP. Attendees will be the first to hear details of the collaborative development process, the program’s future launch, and insights from panelists representing the healthcare continuum. Learn more about the summit and register to join us.