The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a special expanded Open Door Forum on April 24, 2006, to publicly announce, support and promote high-value pharmacy services, including measurement approaches, through a stakeholder-led Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA).   

When quality measures are used for performance comparisons within national programs, they should meet the measure evaluation criteria of importance, feasibility, scientific acceptability and usability. To satisfy importance criterion, evidence should demonstrate that the process of care meaningfully affects the desired outcome. PQA upholds these established standards for performance measure development, including sufficient evidence of the impact of the process of care on the desired outcome.   

The quality of oral anticancer medication (OAM) use impacts clinical care, care coordination, patient safety, and outcomes, including disparities in care, patient and caregiver experience, population health, and total health care costs. To monitor the quality of OAM use, measures assessing the degree to which patients take OAMs as prescribed was the number one measurement priority rated by 23 national experts and patients convened by PQA in 2022-2023.  

PQA is celebrating its 20th year in 2026. In addition to special events at the 2026 PQA Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., May 12-14, PQA will recognize across the year the people, milestones and achievements that have defined the organization’s success. We also will look to the future and PQA’s continuing work to improve the quality of medication use. 

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 has appointed 16 individuals to serve on a new Patient Advisory Council. The council will advise PQA on what matters most to patients, their families and caregivers as it relates to safe, effective and appropriate medication use.  The council also will provide input on strategies to meaningfully incorporate patient perspectives throughout PQA’s work to improve the quality of medication use and patient outcomes.  

PQA is celebrating its 20th year in 2026. In addition to special events at the 2026 PQA Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., May 12-14, PQA will recognize across the year the people, milestones and achievements that have defined the organization’s success. We also will look to the future and PQA’s continuing work to improve the quality of medication use. 

PQA is celebrating its 20th year in 2026. In addition to special events at the 2026 PQA Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., May 12-14, PQA will recognize across the year the people, milestones and achievements that have defined the organization’s success. We also will look to the future and PQA’s continuing work to improve the quality of medication use. 

In 2026, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) marks an extraordinary milestone: 20 years of advancing medication use quality and improving patient outcomes across the United States.