Principles for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)

PQA is dedicated to improving safe, effective and appropriate medication use and addressing issues that impact a person’s ability to access and use medications. Through quality measurement, research and education, PQA’s consensus-driven initiatives help improve health care outcomes and lower costs.

Aligned with PQA’s mission and strategic goals, the organization is committed to addressing health disparities that affect medication use quality and patient outcomes. As we work to address disparities, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce strengthens PQA’s efforts.

PQA will provide individuals and organizations, who represent the nation’s diversity, equitable and meaningful opportunities to participate in its work. To help address disparities and ensure that PQA’s people, programs and partners are diverse, equitable and inclusive, the organization will apply the following principles:

• DE&I starts with how individuals treat each other in the workplace.
• Unconscious biases are universal and impact our day-to-day decision-making.
• Diversity is about everyone’s differences and is not always visible. Everyone is different and diverse in multiple ways.
• Diverse leaders and teams make decisions that are more responsive to the needs and interests of diverse populations.
• Enhancing collective and individual understanding of and support for DE&I will strengthen PQA’s ability to address disparities and improve medication use quality.
• We must understand the diversity of the workforce and populations served by our work, including but not limited to culture, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic status.
• DE&I conversations and work may be complicated. Engaging in DE&I work requires courage, openness, listening, patience, honesty, inquiry, acknowledging bias and challenging assumptions.
• Data collection, stratification and use are essential to advancing DE&I and addressing health disparities.
• The failure to address health disparities will impede progress in improving medication use quality.
• PQA has a role to play in building a quality workforce that represents the nation’s diversity.

These principles will inform PQA’s strategies and how the organization deploys resources, forms partnerships, convenes members and stakeholders, frames communications and produces quality improvement programs, including measurement, research, and education.

This is a living document that will be updated as PQA’s DE&I work progresses.

Access a PDF copy of PQA's Principles for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Updated December 2022