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2021: A Year of Milestones

Amidst an incredibly uncertain time in our world’s history, 2021 will stand out as a year of milestones. This year, we witnessed the successful deployment of several mRNA vaccines and development of therapeutics to assist in the fight against COVID-19. This effort was one of the most extraordinary feats of expedited scientific discovery and innovation ever experienced. 

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PQA Welcomes Four New Members

PQA is a non-profit organization with 250 diverse members across healthcare. Our members include community and specialty pharmacy organizations, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, pharmacies, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, life sciences, technology vendors, government agencies, health information technology partners, researchers, accrediting organizations and academia.

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Building a Value-Based Pharmacy Performance Program

The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) continues to forge ahead with our work to develop a set of standard pharmacy performance measures that would be appropriate for use in value-based plan-pharmacy agreements. Over the past 3 years, we have convened and worked with a broad base of industry leaders to identify and vet pharmacy performance measures that meet the needs of pharmacies, payers, and patients—while balancing feasibility and probability for success.

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The 2021 PQA Leadership Summit Reflections

One week ago today, PQA members gathered in person for the first time in two years for the 2021 PQA Leadership Summit. The energy, enthusiasm and engagement across this two-day meeting was incredible. It was my first PQA Leadership Summit, and the event reaffirmed my belief that PQA is unique in its collaborative spirit.  

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The Business Case: Paying to Addressing Social Determinants of Health

PQA hosted a November 2019 national forum, Caring for the Whole Patient, to showcase emerging best practices to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) and the role of pharmacists. Building on the forum and PQA’s other work, PQA is developing an SDOH Resource Guide and accepting contributions for the first edition through September 30. This is the final part of a three-part blog series revisiting the 2019 forum.

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Caring for the Whole Patient: Diverse Care Settings

PQA hosted a November 2019 national forum, Caring for the Whole Patient, to showcase emerging best practices to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) and the role of pharmacists. Building on the forum and PQA’s other work, PQA is developing an SDOH Resource Guide and accepting contributions for the first edition through September 30. This is the second of a three-part blog series revisiting the 2019 forum.

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Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Different Populations

PQA hosted a November 2019 national forum, Caring for the Whole Patient, to showcase emerging best practices to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) and the role of pharmacists. Building on the forum and PQA’s other work, PQA is developing an SDOH Resource Guide and accepting contributions for the first edition through September 30. This is the first of a three-part blog series revisiting the 2019 forum.

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Medication Adherence Measures Help Medicare Beneficiaries Avoid Up to $46.6 Billion in Health Care Costs

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

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Five For Friday, August 6: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality

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



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We Need Your Help to Build an SDOH Resource Guide

PQA is developing a social determinants of health (SDOH) resource guide that will document real-world SDOH services, including screening, referring or intervening, conducted by or involving pharmacists or pharmacies. The guide will provide details on interventions that are promising for improving the quality and safety of medication use.

We need your help to identify promising or proven interventions!

There is no current resource that catalogues pharmacist and pharmacy-centered SDOH services. This guide will provide health care professionals with ideas and examples of SDOH services they can implement.

To maximize the guide’s depth and value, PQA invites submissions to be considered for inclusion. Based on PQA member input provided at last November's Leadership Summit, we are most interested at this time in interventions that address:
  • Screening for Unmet Needs
  • Cost of Medications
  • Cultural or Literacy Barriers
The initial guide will focus on these areas, but we welcome submissions on other interventions.
You are invited to provide robust details, but if you only have limited information, we want that, too. We recognize that many SDOH efforts are in their early stages, or you may have only seen them in a presentation or news story.

Our staff will research any partial examples to develop a more complete profile of the intervention. Any submissions provided may be published in the guide and promoted in PQA’s communications or educational programs.

The initial guide will be published by the end of 2021, and we plan to update and expand it in the future. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].

 
 
 

Five For Friday, June 25: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality

As a member driven organization, people are what makes PQA great and effective in building consensus to advance medication use quality. PQA is a rare association where different and often competing sectors work together towards a common goal -- improving patient care and outcomes.

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Setting the Course for PQA’s Future

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”

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Ten Great Things to Do at the PQA Annual Meeting

The PQA Annual Meeting is next week, Tuesday, May 11, through Thursday, May 13, with a companion Research Symposium on Monday, May 17. This year's meeting has more than 50 educational, networking and entertainment sessions or events. You can register at any time to attend and, if you miss any sessions, they're available to all registrants on demand after the meeting.

Here are 10 of the fantastic opportunities to learn, network and engage at the 2021 PQA Annual Meeting.
  1. Participate in the Town Hall Meeting with Micah Cost on May 11. You’ll hear insights on his first 100 days leading PQA and his vision for the future. For part of the event, he’ll be joined by former CMS Administrator Mark McClellan and former CMS Senior Advisory Larry Kocot.

  2. Gain insights on Equity in Medication Use Quality with our general session that will explore the barriers that lead to unfair and avoidable differences in health outcomes and how can we remove them. We’ll hear from a patient, Lilly’s Director of Global Health Literacy and PQA Board member Sharon Jhawar.

  3. Hear about COVID-19’s Impact on Quality with a general session that will share insights on what happened in the market and which changes in care could positively or negatively impact quality in the future.

  4. Hear about the importance of medication quality in patient-centered, team-based care and the role of pharmacists. Our Value-Based Care general session will discuss real-world examples that are shaping the future of care.

  5. Earn 6.0 contact hours of continuing pharmacy education credit. CE is available for all 12 Focused Sessions, and you can attend sessions for credit live or on-demand through June 11.

  6. Sign up for PQA’s Medication Use Quality continuing education and certificate program this month and receive a $50 discount on top of the member rate, as an Annual Meeting attendee. PQA members will receive 15 hours of advanced training for just $175. The code will be shared live with all meeting attendees.

  7. Attend four Innovation Theaters for creative business solutions from four leading vendors: Aspen RxHealth, EnlivenHealth, OutcomesMTM, and Tabula Rasa Healthcare.

  8. Attend a networking reception with PQA Board members and fellow meeting attendees, Wednesday, May 12, at 3:30 p.m. ET.

  9. Relax, do something fun and engage with other PQA members. We have a trivia hour on May 11 at 4:00 p.m. ET and a special musical guest on May 12 at 3:10 p.m. ET.

  10. Attend the Research Symposium on Monday, May 17, to learn about PQA’s work in medication access and SDOH and to see presentations on four PQA-funded projects.

Also, don't forget to visit with our meeting sponsors! During the meeting, you can schedule an appointment or meet with them instantly through convenient Zoom rooms. Their support makes the PQA Annual Meeting possible and together they are among our nation's leaders in improving medication use quality.

Elevating the Patient Voice in Quality

PQA is committed to patient-centered principles, including health equity, in our work to improve medication safety, adherence and appropriate use.

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Participate in PQA’s Specialty Pharmacy Turnaround Time Study

PQA is investigating the barriers and facilitators of prescription turnaround time in the specialty pharmacy setting.

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Education Advisory Council Ensures PQA’s Programs are Timely and Relevant

PQA’s education programs are designed to expand knowledge and develop medication use quality skills. Our Medication Use Quality CE program, our Annual Meeting and the monthly Quality Forum Webinar series are just three of the ways we showcase best practices and novel approaches to improving medication safety, adherence and appropriate use.

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PQA Welcomes Seven New Members

PQA is a non-profit organization with 250 diverse members across healthcare. Our members include community and specialty pharmacy organizations, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, pharmacies, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, life sciences, technology vendors, government agencies, health information technology partners, researchers, accrediting organizations and academia.

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Join Me at the 2021 PQA Annual Meeting

It’s my pleasure to personally invite you to join us at the 2021 PQA Annual Meeting, which will take place online, May 11-13. While we are all looking forward to the time when we can meet together face-to-face, we are excited to continue to host this important meeting virtually and provide you with high-quality educational programs and events which meet your needs.

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PQA Publishes 2021 Measure Manual and Value Sets

PQA has published the 2021 PQA Measure Manual and Value Sets. The PQA Measure Manual includes the specifications for PQA measures for measurement year 2020. The manual provides guidelines and detailed specifications, which are needed to implement the measures accurately and appropriately.

PQA measures are use in a variety of federal, state, and regional quality programs, including the Medicare Part D Star Ratings, the Health Insurance Marketplace Quality Rating System, and the Medicaid Adult Core Set. In addition to retrospective analysis, the 2021 PQA Measure Manual and Value Sets may be used for ongoing monitoring and quality improvement in 2021.
 
PQA Value Sets, including National Drug Code (NDC) lists, are required to calculate PQA measures as specified. PQA updates the NDC lists twice annually and distributes the lists to licensees of the measures. A subscription for monthly NDC list updates is an available option for licensees to support ongoing monitoring and quality improvement initiatives.
 
Organizations must enter into a license agreement to obtain approval to use PQA measures. Learn more by reviewing the PQA Measure Use and License PolicyThere are significant licensing discounts for PQA members; and, as a benefit to PQA members, organizations may request a license for noncommercial use of the PQA Measure Manual for no fee.
For additional information about licensing or for questions about PQA measures, please visit the Measure Use and Licensing page of the PQA website.


Addressing Health Access and Social Determinants of Health

As we celebrate Black History Month, I am reminded of one experience that had a profound impact on my view of health access and the pharmacist’s role in addressing medication use quality through team-based care.

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