PRESS RELEASE

PQA’s Norris Turner Appointed to National Quality Forum Panel to Review Opioid and Opioid Use Disorder Measures

Dr. Turner joins panel of diverse multi-stakeholder experts to review opioid and opioid use disorder measures and concepts

Alexandria, Va. (May 6, 2019) – Norris Turner, PharmD, PhD, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance’s (PQA) Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Measure Implementation, has been appointed to the National Quality Forum’s (NQF) Opioid and Opioid Use Disorder Technical Expert Panel (TEP). The panel includes diverse multi-stakeholder experts, who will review opioid and opioid use disorder measures and concepts and identify measure gaps and priorities relevant to addressing the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic.

“NQF has convened this critical panel to review quality measures and measurement opportunities around the medical use of opioids and opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery,” Turner said. “I look forward to working with NQF and the other panelists to prioritize quality measurement gaps and provide recommendations to support the federal programs combating the opioid crisis.”

The TEP was convened pursuant to the passage of the federal “Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act.” A primary TEP objective will be to recommend opioid and opioid-use disorder quality measures for possible use in value-based payment and reporting models under Medicare.

PQA is encouraged by the SUPPORT Act’s focus on quality measures to evaluate and improve opioid medication use and opioid use disorder treatments provided through Medicare and other federal health care programs.

PQA has developed an Opioid Core Measure set, which includes four opioid measures to evaluate patients with prescriptions for opioids at high-dosage, from multiple prescribers and pharmacies, or in combination with benzodiazepines. PQA currently is developing three new measures, aligned with the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, to address initial opioid prescribing found to increase risk for chronic opioid use and opioid use disorder. 

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Pharmacy Quality Alliance: PQAalliance.org

National Quality Forum Opioid and Opioid Use Disorder TEP: qualityforum.org/Opioid_and_Opioid_Use_Disorder_TEP.aspx

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Contact: Richard Schmitz, PQA Senior Director of Communications, [email protected] or 703-347-7931