About QuIRC
The PQA Quality Innovation and Research Center (QuIRC) is dedicated to advancing medication use quality while fostering innovation. The Center uses environmental scans, scoping reviews, and evidence synthesis to provide a clear and in-depth understanding of current research landscapes, ensuring our work is impactful and informs future research and quality measurement. Within QuIRC, PQA develops and rigorously tests new measurement methodologies to ensure robust and patient-centered approaches to medication use quality assessment. We also identify and champion effective strategies that translate research into practice, ultimately enhancing value-based care and improving patient outcomes.
Approach
PQA conducts three types of projects to advance its mission:
- Research projects to generate new, generalizable knowledge through systematic inquiry, addressing both theoretical and practical gaps.
- Evaluation projects to assess the effectiveness or impact of specific programs or policies, guiding improvement and accountability.
- Demonstration and pilot projects to test and showcase innovative concepts in real-world settings, proving feasibility and encouraging adoption.
The Center is also deeply committed to disseminating our research findings and best practices to a wide audience, including health care professionals, policymakers, and the public, bridging the gap between research and real-world application.
Collaborate with Us
Collaboration is central to our mission. PQA actively partners with other researchers, academics, and industry experts to foster interdisciplinary advancements in medication use quality and maximize our impact.
Areas of Focus
QuIRC projects align with PQA’s three research focus areas:
Measurement
Methodologies
Identifies methodologies and assesses their validity, reliability and appropriateness for use in performance measurement.
Value-Based Care & Measure Impact
Leverages measures and related data in real world settings to evaluate their effectiveness and impact.
Medication Management Services & Access
Explores opportunities to optimize medication use and issues impacting access to medications and related services.
Research Highlights
Adherence to Oral Anticancer Medications
This project creates a database of oral anticancer medication attributes based on established measurement principles and applies these attributes to group similar OAMs with one another. It also provides methodological recommendations for measuring adherence or persistence across each grouping.
Persistence to Insulin & the Medicare Cost Cap
This project evaluated changes in persistence to basal insulin among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in the first year of the Inflation Reduction Act. Using the PQA Persistence to Basal Insulin measure, it examined changes in treatment continuity following implementation of the monthly insulin cost cap.
Advancing MTM
Quality Measurement
This project created a national initiative aimed at improving the quality and measurement of medication therapy management (MTM) services. The report presents a call to action outlining the critical steps needed to strengthen MTM service delivery, advance measurement practices, and support consistent, high-value care.
Candid Seal of Transparency
A Candid Seal of Transparency is a recognition awarded to non-profit organizations by Candid. These seals signify that a nonprofit has shared information about its mission, programs, financials, leadership, goals, and impact, demonstrating a commitment to transparency. There are four levels of seals: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, each requiring different levels of information disclosure. Platinum, awarded to PQA, is the highest level, requiring detailed information about goals, strategies, capabilities, achievements, and progress indicators.