About PQA

PQA, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance, is a national quality organization dedicated to improving medication safety, adherence and appropriate use. A measure developer, researcher, educator and convener, PQA’s quality initiatives support better medication use and high-quality care.

An independent, non-profit organization with nearly 250 diverse members across healthcare, PQA was initially established in 2006 as a public-private partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shortly after the implementation of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit. PQA was created because prescription drug programs were a major area of health care where there was no organization or national program focused on quality improvement.

PQA members include pharmacies, health plans, health care providers, pharmacy benefit managers, biopharmaceutical companies, technology vendors, government agencies, associations, health information technology organizations, researchers, accrediting organizations and academia.

PQA's Quality Work Today

Five PQA measures are included in the Medicare Part D Star Ratings. PQA measures account for a significant portion of a health plan’s Part D Summary Star Rating.
The 2021 National Impact Assessment of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Measures Report estimates that $27–$46.6 billion in health care costs were avoided for Medicare beneficiaries between 2013-18 thanks to improved patient adherence to medications for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol. PQA developed and stewards the three Star Ratings measures that evaluate adherence for those medications.
PQA is developing a set of pharmacy performance measures that would be appropriate for pharmacy accountability.
PQA developed Medication Use Quality, an online continuing education and certificate program to help healthcare professionals understand and implement effective quality improvement programs.
PQA is addressing social determinants of health that stand between patients and the medications they need. Our work includes the PQA Social Determinants of Health Resource Guide and the Medication Access Framework for Quality Measurement.
PQA provides important and timely tools to address the opioid epidemic. PQA has seven opioid measures to evaluate patients with prescriptions for opioids at high-dosage, from multiple prescribers and pharmacies, in combination with benzodiazepines, or initial opioid prescriptions.
PQA collaborates with pharmacists and payers to foster the adoption of pharmacist-provided care, a value-based care model where outcomes — including medication adherence, clinical status and patient satisfaction — can be tracked and measured.

Our Mission

Optimizing Health by Advancing the Quality of Medication Use

PQA's Evolution from a Measure Developer to a Quality Organization

PQA was established in 2006 as a public-private partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shortly after the implementation of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit. Since the early years developing measures for the Star Ratings program, the multi-stakeholder membership of PQA has engaged in a transparent, consensus-based development process. This foundation was the basis for PQA’s evolution to be a nationally recognized quality organization with industry roles as a measure developer, quality educator, researcher, and convener.