ABOUT
The PQA Leadership Summit convenes thought leaders, key decision makers and quality stakeholders to interactively and collaboratively strategize on the development of medication use measures to address gaps in care, as well as discuss the many issues affecting quality measures. We are excited that over 115 organizations attending, you will not want to miss out!
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The 2023 PQA Leadership Summit is focused on measure modernization and PQA’s role in the national effort to advance and align measures across providers and value-based programs. Measurement must evolve to keep pace with our rapidly changing health care environment. We need high-impact measures that address key health areas, are person-centered and focused on outcomes and equity. At the same time, we must mitigate measurement burden and move towards digital measures that leverage high-quality, robust and interoperable data. PQA members will learn about and provide input on the priorities, opportunities and barriers to addressing each of these important areas.
Thursday, November 2
3:00-3:15 p.m. - Welcome and Opening Remarks
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3:15-4:00 p.m. - General Session I: Measure Alignment
Understand the national quality strategy’s goal of a “universal foundation” of quality measures that will apply to as many CMS quality-rating and value-based care programs as possible and where PQA and its measures fit within this movement.
-Llew Brown, President, Next Level Health Innovations
-Sepheen Byron, Assistant Vice President, National Committee for Quality Assurance
-Lisa Hines, Chief Quality and Innovation Officer, Pharmacy Quality Alliance 
-Doug Jacobs, Chief Transformation Officer in the Center for Medicare, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
-Michael Barr, President & Founder, MEDIS, LLC (Moderator)
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4:10-5:00 p.m. - Breakout Session I: Measure Alignment
Exploration of opportunities for current and future PQA health plan and pharmacy measures for medication use quality to align across value-based care programs.​
5:00-6:30 p.m. - Reception
Friday, November 3
7:15-8:00 a.m. - Breakfast
8:00-8:50 a.m. - General Session II: Patient and Caregiver Engagement
Understand current best practices, tools and approaches for engaging patients and caregivers in the measure development process and measure lifecycle.
-Jennifer Bitterman, Vice President, Clinical Quality Improvement, Rainmakers Strategic Solutions
-Lynn Pezzullo, Vice President, Quality Innovation, Pharmacy Quality Alliance 
-Brenna Rabel, Deputy Project Director, Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement
-Adam Thompson, Patient Representative
-Michael Taday, Senior Vice President, Service Operations, CVS Health: Aetna (Moderator)
9:00-9:50 a.m. - Breakout Session II: Patient and Caregiver Engagement
Consider opportunities to expand PQA’s engagement of patients and caregivers across its performance measurement work; identify opportunities for increased PQA member involvement in these efforts; and consider the relationships and resources needed to take engagement to the next level.
10:00-10:50 a.m. - General Session III: Digital Measures and Data Interoperability
Understand stakeholder readiness across sectors related to data collection, standardization and interoperability needed to support the transition to digital measures
-Ami Bhatt, Vice President of Quality and Clinical Services, Elevance Health
-Cody Clifton, Director of Practice Transformation and Clinical Programs, CPESN
-Tricia Lee Rolle, Senior Advisor, ONC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
-Rick Moore, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, MTC Group LLC (Moderator)
11:00-11:50 a.m. - Breakout Session III: Digital Measures and Data Interoperability
Discuss current state and readiness; identify the value of digital measures for various stakeholders; and consider the training, infrastructure and resource requirements to get ready for digital measures.
12:00-1:00 p.m. - Final General Session: Polling, Next Steps and Working Lunch
AGENDA
SPEAKERS
Dr. Michael S. Barr, a distinguished board-certified internist, is the President and Founder of MEDIS, LLC, a Veteran-Owned independent healthcare consulting firm established in October 2021. MEDIS provides advisory services, including strategy development, program design, and advocacy support for organizations and individuals focused on enhancing healthcare quality.Before founding MEDIS, Dr. Barr served as the Executive Vice President of the Quality Measurement & Research Group at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), Senior Vice President at the American College of Physicians, Chief Medical Officer at Baltimore Medical System, Inc., Assistant Prof. at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and as a physician in the USAF.
Michael Barr, MD, MBA, MACP, FRCP
President & Founder
MEDIS, LLC
Ami Bhatt, PharmD, MBA
Vice President of Quality and Clinical Services
Elevance Health
Ami Bhatt is the Vice President of Quality, Clinical Services and Clinical Operations for CarelonRx. Bhatt is responsible for developing and implementing Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial Pharmacy clinical strategy at scale for 20M member in the US. She also oversees Medicare Stars measures for pharmacy. Her passion is to create clinical programs that focus on health disparities and remove barriers for a member so that they can have better health outcomes. Bhatt received her PharmD from Ohio Northern University and her MBA from Nova Southeastern, also having completed her residency at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
Jennifer Bitterman, MBA, RHIA, PMP
Vice President, Clinical Quality Improvement
Rainmakers Strategic Solutions
Jennifer Bitterman, VP of Clinical Quality at Rainmakers Strategic Solutions, LLC, oversees health care projects and clinical teams. She has 20 years experience in health care program quality improvement, research, and health care standards development. Ms. Bitterman has managed a Medicare Quality Improvement Organization case review contract covering 27 states, covering 70% of the Medicare population nationally. Additionally, she brings vast knowledge in health IT solutions, which enhanced productivity, cut costs, boosted reporting metrics, and improved customer satisfaction. In every capacity she served, she has advocated for the rights of patients and ensured they have the chance to express their views.
Llew Brown, RN, MPA
President
Next Level Health Innovations
Llew Brown is Founder and President of Next Level Health Innovations. He is an informaticist with a background in nursing, EHR implementation and Health IT Policy. Llew has been supporting CMS quality improvement programs for over a decade, with a focus on de novo eCQM development and testing, eCQM validation, data analytics, regulatory support, and strategic planning. During his time as a measure developer, Llew worked with a team at Mathematica and the Lewin Group to develop the Safe Use of Opioids measure, which was the first de novo eCQM adopted in a CMS quality reporting program. Llew and his team at Next Level are advisors to multiple federal agencies on projects to impact health outcomes and improve data interoperability.
Sepheen Byron, DrPH, MS
Assistant Vice President, Performance Measurement
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Sepheen Byron, DrPH, MHS is Assistant Vice President at the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Dr. Byron oversees the development and use of quality measures for HEDIS and other national programs. She is a subject-matter expert for preventive services and pediatric health. She is Principal Investigator for grants to develop measures for breast, cervical and lung cancer. Prior to NCQA, Dr. Byron was a fellow at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Byron holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, Master of Health Science from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Doctor of Public Health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Cody Clifton, PharmD
Director of Practice Transformation and Clinical Programs
CPESN USA
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Cody Clifton is a respected pharmacist dedicated to advancing community-based pharmacies. A Doctor of Pharmacy graduate from the University of Mississippi, Cody furthered his expertise with a residency at the University of North Carolina. His leadership has been evident in directing multiple national efforts. Cody’s contributions has been recognized by the University of Mississippi Alumni Association and a 2021 Next Generation Pharmacist Awards finalist. As Director of Practice Transformation and Clinical Programs at CPESN® USA, Cody drives pharmacy progress and payer programs. Collaborating nationwide with local CPESN Leaders, he fosters sustainable programs for enhanced patient outcomes.
Lisa Hines, PharmD, CPHQ
Chief Quality and Innovation Officer
Pharmacy Quality Alliance
Lisa Hines, PharmD, CPHQ, is the Chief Quality and Innovation Officer of the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA). A member of the senior leadership team, Hines develops, establishes and implements the strategic direction of the PQA’s performance measurement and research initiatives. A recognized quality improvement leader, Hines serves on many national committees, collaboratives and technical expert panels. She leads PQA’s work to engage federal agencies and state and national advisory groups. Hines received her BS in Pharmacy from the University of Washington and her Doctorate of Pharmacy from The Ohio State University, having completed her residency training at The Ohio State University Medical Center.
Doug Jacobs, MD, MPH
Chief Transformation Officer in the Center for Medicare
CMS
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Dr. Doug Jacobs is the Chief Transformation Officer in the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). At CMS he is helping lead Medicare’s efforts to promote value-based care, advance health equity, and encourage delivery system transformation. As a physician by training he continues to see patients on a weekly basis. He trained in Internal Medicine Primary Care at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and served as Chief Resident at the West Roxbury VA hospital, received his MD at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, his MPH at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and his Bachelor’s in Sciences from Brown University.
Rick Moore, PhD, FACHE, FHIMSS, CPHIMS, CISM, CCSFP, PMP
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
MTC Group LLC
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Rick is the Founder/CEO of Moore Than Consulting (MTC) Group, LLC. His company is focused on assisting organizations through their digital transformation journey, particularly organizations within healthcare. His team of experts provides strategic planning around the complex operations of health information management and the technology supporting those operations, from care delivery to the security and reporting of that information in compliance with federal regulations. Before his work at MTC Group, LLC, Rick served as NCQA's Chief Information Officer from 2008-2021, responsible for the vision and strategic direction of the Information Services, Information Technology, and Information Products.
Lynn Pezzullo, RPh, CPEHR, CPHQ​
Vice President, Quality Innovation
Pharmacy Quality Alliance
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Pezzullo, RPh, CPEHR, CPHQ, is the Vice President, Quality Innovation at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA). A member of the senior management team, Pezzullo oversees PQA’s measure development and stewardship activities and is also the Director of PQA’s Quality Innovation and Research Center (QuIRC). She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island and continues to stay engaged with her alma mater, currently serving as Vice-Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board. She also is an active member of the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association, previously serving as President, and currently serves on the Rhode Island Pharmacy Foundation Board of Directors.
Brenna Rabel, MPH
Deputy Project Director
Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement
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Brenna Rabel, MPH is a leader in clinical quality measurement and healthcare quality research, with over a decade of experience in public health and healthcare quality improvement. Currently, Ms. Rabel serves as the Deputy Director of Battelle's Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM), overseeing the technical aspects of the consensus-building processes for Endorsement & Maintenance and the Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review (PRMR). Prior to her role on PQM, Ms. Rabel led a series of quality measurement projects related to eCQM development and testing, diagnostic performance measurement, and conducting outreach to educate the health quality community about measure development.
Tricia Lee Rolle, PharmD, MS, PhD
Senior Advisor,
ONC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
​Tricia Lee Rolle currently serves as a Senior Advisor at the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. Prior to her work at ONC, Dr. Rolle was a Government Affairs and Health IT Strategist with Point-of-Care Partners and served as Director of Pharmacy Affairs for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) where she developed strategies and initiatives to demonstrate the value of managed care pharmacy services and models of care and was liaison to the Pharmacy Health IT Collaborative.
Michael Taday, PharmD, MBA
Senior Vice President, Service Operations
CVS Health; Aetna
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Michael is the Senior Vice President of Service Operations at Aetna. His team of ~35,000 colleagues is a Shared Services organization that serves Aetna by ensuring an efficient, compliant and delightful claim and call experience for its 35M+ Commercial, Individual and Family, Medicare, and Medicaid members. Prior to joining CVS Health, Michael spent 13 years with Humana where he most recently had P&L responsibilities for Humana's pharmacy assets valued at $11B+. He has ~20 years of experience in Health plan/Insurance, PBM, Mail Order and Retail Pharmacy. Besides his passion for people leadership and operations, Michael Chairs the Board of Directors for PQA where he champions the role of the pharmacist.
Adam Thompson, MPH
Patient Representative
Consultant
Mr. Adam Thompson holds an undergraduate degree in theology from Georgetown University and a master's degree in public health from the Jefferson College of Population Health. Mr. Thompson is the former Director of the South Jersey AIDS Education and Training Center and currently works as a health systems carpenter and practice facilitator supporting clinics, communities, and health systems throughout the United States to transform practices and improve patient and community outcomes. As a person with HIV himself, Mr. Thompson brings both professional expertise and lived experience to his work championing the rights of all persons in the United States to have access to equitable high-quality care.
REGISTRATION
By Invitation Only
The Key Contact from each PQA member organization is invited to attend the Leadership Summit. Registration is complimentary and the registration link has been provided directly to the Key Contact.
Please direct any questions about the PQA Leadership Summit to Meetings@PQAalliance.org.
If you experience any issues, please contact Registration@PQAalliance.org.
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations must be emailed to Registration@PQAalliance.org. As a courtesy, we request that cancellations be submitted no later than Friday, October 20, 2023.
HOTEL & TRAVEL
Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel
2800 South Potomac Ave.
Arlington, VA, 22202
PQA's discounted-rate room block has expired, however there is still availability at the Renaissance Hotel. Please use the link below to access the hotel reservation website.
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For any questions, please contact Meetings@pqaalliance.org.
Airport Information
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Reagan National Airport (DCA) is approximately 10 minutes from the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. Taxi fare is estimated to be $15.
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Dulles Airport (IAD) is approximately 45 minutes from the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. Taxi fare is estimated to be $70.
Complimentary Shuttle to DCA and Crystal City Metro
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) Shuttle:
The airport shuttle operates every 30 minutes; the first shuttle departs the hotel at 5:05 a.m. daily and with the last shuttle departing the hotel at 11:05 p.m.
The Airport shuttle picks up at:
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Terminal A ,near Southwest, Air Canada, and Frontier
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Terminal B, and Door 4 and between Door 6 & 7
The Metro shuttle to Crystal City Metro:
The Metro shuttle operates every 30 minutes; the first Metro shuttle departs the hotel at 6:30 a.m. daily with the last Metro shuttle departing the hotel at 10:00 p.m.
Parking
On-Site Parking is $44 for daily parking and $23 for hourly. Valet parking is available for $49 daily.
SPONSORS
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This activity is supported through an independent educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.
The PQA Leadership Summit is a premier marketplace for innovation and solutions for influencers and decision makers across sectors in medication use quality. Through PQA, sponsors will engage health care executives from pharmacies, health plans, health care providers, pharmacy benefit managers, biopharmaceutical companies, technology vendors, government agencies, research and more.
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Review these opportunities in the Sponsorship Prospectus. To explore these opportunities or develop custom sponsorship packages, contact Loren Kirk or Sponsorship@PQAalliance.org.