Why are quality measures important to pharmacy?

Value-based purchasing arrangements - in which providers are rewarded for demonstrating superior performance on accepted measures of quality care – are becoming increasingly more prevalent. Pharmacies have traditionally not been engaged in these arrangements on a large scale, yet recent developments bringing attention to the importance of improving the quality of medication use have heightened the visibility of pharmacists as impactful providers. Specifically, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have included medication use measures in their Star Ratings program for Medicare Part D plan sponsors and their Quality Bonus Payments program for Medicare Advantage plans. The time has come for plans and pharmacies to form strategic relationships focused on improving the quality of medication use.

EQuIPP is a performance information management platform that provides the standardized, benchmarked performance information needed to shape improvement strategies and guide performance improvement efforts.