Five for Friday December 2: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality

PQA members are currently voting on one measure up for endorsement and four measures for retirement.

PQA's member-driven process sets it apart in measure development and stewardship. PQA members have a unique and important opportunity to inform the development of all PQA measures from beginning to end, culminating in a vote for endorsement consideration -- recognizing that PQA measures undergo extensive vetting and meet rigorous standard measure criteria.

Below are details on the current voting process, which takes place electronically. A greater than 60% vote in support (of member organizations voting yes or no) is required for a measure to receive PQA endorsement.

We also highlight our members' insights on value-based care, access for diabetic patients and pharmacy performance measures. If you have news you'd like for us to spotlight in an upcoming Five For Friday, send us an email!  

-- Lynn Pezzullo, RPh, CPEHR, CPHQ, Senior Director of Quality Innovation 

Increasing Diversity in the Pharmacy Workforce

To help increase the diversity of the pharmacy workforce and improve overall health outcomes for vulnerable populations the McKesson Foundation donated more than $4.1 million to pharmacy schools, including the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Research shows patients often have better outcomes — and believe their chances of being heard are better — when their clinician shares a similar cultural background; however, the representation of pharmacists lags behind the overall diversity in the U.S 

Collaborating to Improve Health Outcomes  
Highmark Health announced a collaboration to form a new digital health platform for Highmark Health’s members. The new platform is a “digital front door” for members, offered on the web and through the My Highmark app. It will help members with scheduling appointments, accessing primary care and urgent care, managing prescription drugs and other services. As the companies roll out the platform to Highmark’s 6.8 million members, they will be tracking metrics such as engagement and medication adherence

Partnering to Provide Free Medication Delivery  
Walgreens will offer free prescription delivery of Paxlovid, a COVID-19 oral antiviral therapy, directly to the doorsteps of those in need, with the help of delivery partners DoorDash and Uber Health. The initiative will prioritize access to free delivery for patients in socially vulnerable or medically underserved communities, and will help ensure that transportation access is not a barrier to receiving treatment for COVID-19. 

Each PQA Member Organization Can Vote on Measures Up for Endorsement or Retirement

A PQA member voting window is open now through Friday, December 16, at 11:59 p.m. ET. There are five measures up for vote -- one for endorsement consideration and four for retirement consideration. The measures are:

Endorsement
Retirement
  • Antipsychotic Use in Persons with Dementia: MDS (APD-MDS) [Nursing Home]
  • Initial Opioid Prescribing at High Dosage (IOP-HD) [Health Plan]
  • Initial Opioid Prescribing for Long-Acting or Extended-Release Opioids (IOP-LA) [Health Plan]
  • Use of Opioids at High Dosage and from Multiple Providers in Persons without Cancer (OHDMP) [Health Plan]

An archived recording of the December 1 PQA All-Member webinar about these measures is available in the PQA Member Resources Library.

Each PQA member organization's Key Contact has received an email with voting instructions. If you have any questions about the voting process or the measures under consideration, please contact the PQA Measure Development Team at [email protected]. If you have any questions about your organization’s Key Contact, please inquire at [email protected].

Your Next Engagement Opportunities

Network, Learn and Collaborate with PQA

  • PQA is accepting applications for the PQA Summer Executive Internship, sponsored byPharmacy Quality Solutions and the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiential (APPE) Rotation. PQA provides healthcare quality experience to students and graduates from a wide variety of disciplines. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, December 31, 2022

  • PQA is accepting poster abstracts for the 2023 PQA Annual Meeting Poster Sessions sponsored by Pharmacy Quality SolutionsThe poster session provides an opportunity for authors to highlight quality improvement and research efforts and engage in insightful dialogue about the healthcare quality landscape. The deadline to submit your ideas is Friday, December 31, 2022.
  • Save the date for the next PQA Quality Forum Webinar, Thursday, January 19, 1-2 pm ETThis forum will provide an overview of the second edition of PQA's Social Determinants of Health Resource Guide and highlight initiatives featured in the guide. More information, including registration details, will be shared in early January.
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