PQA provides healthcare quality experience to students from a wide variety of disciplines. This summer, we are hosting five students through our internship and MPH practicum programs. They are adding medication safety, adherence and appropriate use experience to their professional training. We recently invited them to answer five questions about the work they are doing, where they're going in their careers and how they hope to apply their PQA knowledge to their professional advancement.

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! You can read about how to contribute below.

This week, we are sharing three ways our members are aligning incentives to support integrated care, incorporating the patient voice across their work and ensuring that patients are not left behind in medication adherence.

If you have work you'd like for us to spotlight, send us an email. We want to hear from you, and we want to share more stories like the ones below.

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.

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.

Alexis Caronis is the 2021-22 PQA Executive Fellow. She is a PharmD graduate from the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. Caronis joined PQA June 1 and has hit the ground running with support for PQA's social determinants of health initiatives and student programs.  

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 PQA Quality Forum Webinar is a regular, recurring series on healthcare quality topics with a focus on medication use and medication services. It is a forum for educating and engaging with PQA members and quality-focused healthcare professionals.

PQA’s April 22, 2021, Quality Forum welcomed a panel of experts to discuss implementation of sustainable social determinants of health (SDOH) programs in community pharmacies. Initial efforts have been promising, and presenters noted the need for more research, specifically in reimbursement.

David Jacobs, PharmD, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Buffalo, began the conversation by defining SDOH in community pharmacy.

Jacobs said SDOH are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes and is defined by the World Health Organization as “conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age.” The five categories of SDOH are:

Welcome to Five For Friday! The 2021 PQA Annual Meeting marked my 100th day as CEO on May 12.

During the meeting, I shared my thoughts on PQA’s future. My three-part vision has been shaped through many discussions with our Board of Directors, our members and our staff, and I am excited to share this with you as we look to build a brighter tomorrow.

You can read more about my vision below with a link to my blog. This week, we are sharing three ways our members are improving quality in mental health, vaccinations and social needs.

If you have work you'd like for us to spotlight in an upcoming Five For Friday, send us an email. We want to hear from you, and we want to share more stories like the ones below.

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

PQA’s talented staff is dedicated to improving medication safety, adherence and appropriate use. As experts in measure development, research, education and convening, they lead the implementation of PQA’s quality initiatives support better medication use and high-quality care. This blog is one in a series profiling PQA's staff. 

Welcome to Five For Friday. The 2021 PQA Annual Meeting took place this week and it was a resounding success!

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.

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

Welcome to Five For Friday. We are less two weeks away from the 2021 PQA Annual Meeting, May 11-13. Today, April 30, is the last day to receive the discount registration rate.

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

Welcome to the fourth edition of Five For Friday. We are less than one month away from the 2021 PQA Annual Meeting, May 11-13.

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.

Welcome to the third edition of Five For Friday. As I reflect on my first two months as your CEO, I am pleased to share that my two primary assumptions about PQA have proven to be true. 

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.