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PRESS RELEASE PQA Recognizes 18 Medicare Plan Contracts for High Achievement in Medication Quality Measures Based on CMS’ Medicare Star Ratings Awards Honor Excellence and Improvements in Overall Star Ratings and PQA Medication Measures Alexandria, Va. (May 16, 2019) – The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) has recognized 18 Medicare plan contracts with quality awards for high achievement or significant improvement in PQA medication quality measures. The awards are based on published CMS Medicare Part D Star Ratings. PQA provides two awards, the Excellence in Quality Award and the Quality Improvement Award. The awards were announced today at a recognition lunch during the 2019 PQA Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md. The Excellence in Quality Award recognizes Medicare Advantage Drug Plans (MAPD) and Prescription Drug Plans (PDP). MAPDs are recognized for achieving at least a 4.5-star Part D summary rating and a 5-star rating on all five PQA medication measures used in the 2019 CMS Star Ratings program. PDPs are recognized for achieving at least a 4.5-star Part D summary rating and a 4-star rating on all five PQA medication measures used in the 2019 CMS program. The Quality Improvement Award recognizes MAPDs and PDPs that received a 5-star rating on the 2019 CMS Quality Improvement measure and the greatest combined improvement in star ratings from 2018 to 2019 on the four PQA medication measures used in the CMS program during this period. “These awards are based solely on publicly available quality scores,” Laura Cranston, RPh, PQA CEO, said. “The safe and appropriate use of medications is a top issue for all care providers, and it is extremely important in the Medicare Part D program. The excellence and improvement recognized by these awards reflect careful and deliberate strategies and interventions implemented by the plans and their partners in the medication management of patients.” This year’s quality award recipients are: Excellence in Quality Award – MAPDs (CMS Contract Number)
Excellence in Quality Award – PDPs (CMS Contract Number)
Quality Improvement Award – MAPDs (CMS Contract Number)
Quality Improvement Award – PDPs (CMS Contract Number)
Five PQA-endorsed quality measures are used in the 2019 Medicare Part D Star Ratings program, and several others are used as Display measures. Details on these measures are available at https://www.pqaalliance.org/medicare-part-d. CMS evaluates Medicare plans based on a 5-star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. More information about Star Ratings can be found at Medicare.gov. ### Contact: Richard Schmitz, PQA Senior Director of Communications, [email protected] or 703-347-7931 |