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.  

Michael Taday, PharmD, MBA, is PQA’s Board Vice-Chair for 2022. He is the Senior Vice President at CenterWell Pharmacy and has been a member of the PQA Board since 2020. Today he shared with us his background, experience and insights on PQA’s work.  

Tell us about your background and your current position as the Senior Vice President of CenterWell Pharmacy (formerly Humana Pharmacy)? 

Achieving my Doctorate of Pharmacy and MBA more than 15 years ago has proved to be a solid foundation for my career path.   I’ve served across nearly all channels of the pharmacy industry, but have spent the majority of my career in leadership roles focused on insurance and health plans, pharmacy benefit management, and both mail order and retail pharmacy.  

I currently serve as a member of Humana’s Pharmacy executive team and Senior Vice President of CenterWell Pharmacy, formerly Humana Pharmacy. I am responsible for the Pharmacy P&L, which includes prescription home delivery, retail pharmacy, and OTC distribution.  In this role, I oversee the development and execution of organizational strategies for pharmacy operations and distribution, engineering and logistics, clinical services, drug purchasing, and pharmacy practice. 

Tell us about Humana’s involvement with PQA. What do you gain through your engagement with PQA? 

Humana has been involved with PQA for more than a decade, regularly participating in workgroups, presenting at the annual conference and leadership summits, and has supported PQA through many years of sponsorship. I have been an active member of the board of directors since January 2020 and a member of the Board’s executive committee since January 2021.  There are many benefits to PQA membership. What differentiates PQA from other organizations is the opportunity to both network and collaborate with professionals from many different types of organizations. It’s rewarding to discover our shared values and come together to create and meet common goals.  We don’t just share ideas or a wish list – we really get things done! A couple of examples are how we’ve been able to successfully advocate for improving clinical quality across the pharmacy ecosystem, building a comprehensive quality measure set and a Social Determinants of Health resource guide. 

Given your experience leading health plan pharmacy services, what is the unique perspective you bring to PQA’s work and medication use quality? 

With my background serving in a range of health care industry leadership roles, I truly appreciate what each of our PQA member organizations brings to the table, not only what they contribute to PQA, but to the health care system overall.  I am always open to finding new ways to collaborate with members, allowing pharmacy to continue to thrive and demonstrate the value pharmacy can provide to patient care.  Additionally, I’ve been able to provide guidance and input based on my experiences at CenterWell Pharmacy, where we invest in and focus heavily on delivering the highest clinical outcomes for our patients by improving medication adherence, reducing hospitalization rates, and ultimately contributing to lowering healthcare costs. 

How would you describe PQA’s value for our healthcare system? 

I would describe PQA as an invaluable and highly credible resource for our health care system, particularly as a convener of diverse and influential organizations.  The thought leaders of these organizations have the experience needed, and the organizations have the resources to make a difference across our industry.  

Our healthcare system continues to evolve in many ways. What do you see as the future for quality improvement in medication use and medication services?  

Meeting patients where and how they want to engage will continue to be essential to optimizing care.  Besides access, it is critical for care to be connected (through technology workflows and data exchanges) and customized to the unique dynamics of each patient in order to build trust and deliver the best outcomes.  At CenterWell Pharmacy, we are emphasizing simplicity and convenience for our patients more than ever before. The home will continue to be a primary access point, and our focus will remain on creating and customizing services, such as digital-first capabilities, to meet the individual needs of our patients.  

As PQA’s Board Vice Chair, what are your goals for the organization?  

I want to ensure that PQA remains viable and relevant for many years to come. To do this, we need to find ways to challenge our organization and its members to further innovate and sharpen our focus on where we can build additional partnerships, both within and outside of the pharmacy industry.  Doing this will enable PQA to thrive as a significant contributor to patient care, which in turn, helps us meet our goal to improve clinical outcomes.