PQA Annual Meeting Will Address Equity, Quality and Value in Medication Use

The 2021 PQA Annual Meeting is online May 11-13. Now in its 16th year, the meeting is the largest multidisciplinary gathering of health care quality professionals, who are focused on improving medication safety, adherence and appropriate use.

Open to all health care professionals, the meeting is a top forum for learning best practices and emerging trends in medication services, pharmacist-provided care, and quality improvement initiatives.

The meeting is anchored by three general sessions that are focused on timely topics shaping the current landscape: equity in medication use quality, COVID-19's impact on quality, and value-based care.

“It has been a challenging year for everyone in health care – from providers to patients, but through it all we have persevered to deliver high-quality care and continue addressing the issues that stand between all patients and the outcomes they deserve,” said Amanda Ryan, PharmD, PQA education director. “That’s why equity, COVID-19 and value-based care are leading themes for this year’s meeting. We can emerge from the pandemic stronger and there’s a big role medication use quality can play.”

The meeting includes 12 breakout sessions that build on these themes and address additional quality improvement and care delivery issues with cross-cutting industry perspectives. Continuing pharmacy education credits are available for all breakout sessions. Attendees can earn 6 contact hours by attending sessions live or on demand.

A town hall with CEO Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, who joined PQA February 1, will kick off the meeting on May 11. Cost will share insights from his first 100 days leading PQA and his vision for the future. In addition to open dialogue with attendees, Cost will host a fireside chat with former CMS Administrator Mark McClellan and former CMS Senior Advisor Larry Kocot on PQA’s establishment 15 years ago, their vision for pharmacy quality and the road ahead.

“I am excited to join our members, sponsors and stakeholders at my first PQA Annual Meeting,” Cost said. “We have a great program that will deliver actionable insights for your own work. Over these past few months, I have been inspired by our members’ collaborative work to improve patients’ lives through medication use quality. I am looking forward to learning from all of our speakers and attendees and sharing my thoughts about ways that PQA can continue to support optimal medication use and best position you for success.”

PQA meetings are a forum for building business relationships across sectors. While this year’s meeting is online, the organization has created several ways attendees can network, including through direct messaging and video calls via the meeting’s web platform. Additionally, a series of industry-presented innovation theaters will showcase vendor solutions to support medication quality improvement.

A companion research symposium on PQA’s work in medication access and the social determinants of health takes place May 17 and is free to all meeting attendees. The meeting registration fee is $199 for PQA members and $399 for non-members, who register by April 30.

Pharmacy Times and the American Journal of Managed Careare the meeting’s official media partners. Visit the Conference Coverage sections for reporting on this year’s meeting.