The 2023 PQA Annual Meeting is May 10-12 in Nashville, Tenn. You’ll hear from more than 50 speakers across our general, breakout and special sessions.

Let PQA be part of the strategy to ensure your staff has robust and in-person opportunities for networking, professional development, continuing education, and strategic engagement with business partners and prospects.

The 2023 PQA Annual Meeting, May 10-12 in Nashville, Tenn., is one of most affordable and accessible national meetings:

Shadowing programs are a great way to gain knowledge and insights about technical programs and processes.

We are excited to announce that registration for the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting will open next week. This year’s meeting is May 10-12 in Nashville. Tenn. Be on the lookout for that registration link to reserve your spot at the top event for medication-focused quality improvement professionals.

It’s a new year and there are several big things on the horizon to keep an eye on in pharmacy, medication use and high-quality, value-based care.

PQA is launching a national initiative to prioritize research and measurement strategies to improve the quality of care for individuals using oral anticancer medications (OAM).

What constitutes quality and value in medication use?

Medication adherence quality measures are relevant and high-impact, according to PQA’s Ben Shirley, Melissa Castora-Binkley and Lisa Hines, whose Population Health Management point of view article was published online April 29.

They explain that adherence measures in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Part D Star Ratings have contributed to immense public health benefits and savings over the last decade. As the measures evolve to integrate new data sources and address equity, their value to the health system will continue. They are an excellent example of how evidence-based quality measures implemented into accountability programs with meaningful incentives can move the needle and improve population health. 

The early registration deadline for the 2022 PQA Annual Meeting has been extended to next Friday, April 15! This extension includes the special PQA hotel rate.

The program is almost finalized. See our recent announcements on the speakers for: 

PQA’s Board of Directors represents a diverse group of thought leaders and experts in healthcare, who understand how medication optimization improves patient outcomes and supports a value-based care system. Their expertise helps PQA advance the safe and appropriate use of medicines. This blog is one in a series profiling PQA's Board members.

The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) developed the “Medication Access Framework for Quality Measurement”  to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) that hinder patient medication access and contribute to poor health outcomes. Released in March 2019, the framework identifies seven key areas patients encounter while accessing medications and the structural, financial and personal barriers patients face within each. Named the Medication Access Patient Journey (MAPJ), those seven areas are:

Research is a strategic growth priority for PQA. It has great potential to enhance and support quality improvement initiatives.

PQA is investigating the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on pharmacy and medication access by using a multi-stakeholder perspective to analyze current gaps in knowledge and interventions that currently exist in pharmacy settings.

What is the impact of the three medication adherence measures used in the Medicare Part D Star Ratings program?

The PQA Quality Forum Webinar is a recurring series on healthcare quality topics which focus on medication use and medication services. The quality forum creates an opportunity for education and engagement with PQA members and quality-focused healthcare professionals.

This fall and into 2022, there are numerous opportunities for PQA members to participate in our measure development process. As a consensus-based and member-driven organization, this is the moment for you and your organization to inform and influence decisions on measures across the development and stewardship continuum. Read more about the opportunities below.

This week, we are highlighting the importance of technology in team-based care and two ways pharmacists are partnering with other providers and system stakeholders to improve care and outcomes. If you have work you'd like for us to spotlight in an upcoming Five For Friday, send us an email.

This fall and into 2022, there are numerous opportunities for PQA members to participate in our measure development process. As a consensus-based and member-driven organization, this is the moment for you and your organization to inform and influence decisions on measures across the development and stewardship continuum. Here's what's coming up soon. Information on each of these will be emailed to members as we get closer to the opportunity.

A 2021 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report for PQA’s three adherence measures showed the economic benefits of medication adherence in Medicare Part D, with an estimated $27-$46.6 billion health care costs avoided over a five-year period.

We'll share analysis of this report soon, but you can access it below and see the letter PQA CEO Micah Cost sent to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, noting PQA's work to improve adherence and address disparities.

This week, we are sharing the ways our members are reducing vaccine disparities, investing in the future of pharmacist-provided care and evaluating comprehensive medication management in value-based care models. If you have work you'd like for us to spotlight in an upcoming Five For Friday, send us an email! 

This guest blog is one in a series by sponsors of the 2021 PQA Annual Meeting on emerging trends in medication use quality. The views shared in this series are those of the author and do not reflect any PQA positions.