PQA Retires Health Plan Performance Measure for Use of Opioids from Multiple Providers in Persons Without Cancer

Low measure rates and minimal opportunity for improvement informed retirement vote

The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA), through a majority vote of its members, has retired the Use of Opioids from Multiple Providers in Persons Without Cancer (OMP) health plan performance measure. The measure evaluated the percentage of individuals 18 years of age or older who received prescriptions for opioids from four or more prescribers and four or more pharmacies within 180 days.

PQA members voted in favor of retiring the OMP measure due to low measure rates and a narrow range of rates across health plans, thereby providing little opportunity for improvement or to effectively discern good from poor performance.

As part of PQA’s systematic consensus-based measure maintenance process, measures may be identified for retirement consideration. PQA staff, the PQA Measure Update Panel and the PQA Quality Metrics Expert Panel recommended that members consider OMP for retirement. A public comment period was held prior to the vote.

“Evaluating measures for retirement consideration is an important part of measure stewardship,” said PQA Senior Director of Performance Measurement Carolyn Lockwood, MSN, RN. “Given the very low measure rates and little opportunity for improvement, retirement makes sense for the OMP measure. Medication safety remains a high priority, and we will continue to address opioid safety through our other measures and in collaboration with our members and organizations that license PQA measures.”

The OMP measure is included on the Medicare Part D Display Page. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in the 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement, published April 1, that “if the PQA membership votes in favor of retirement in 2024, CMS will retire the OMP measure from the 2027 display page (2025 measurement year).”

Following the retirement of this opioid measure, PQA will have four opioid health plan performance measures, which are implemented in important quality programs.