Five for Friday April 10: Celebrating Success in Advancing Medication Use Quality
Welcome to Five For Friday!
The 2026 PQA Annual Meeting is less than six weeks away, and we are excited to welcome you all back to Baltimore to celebrate 20 years of quality.
Every speaker for the meeting is confirmed. Our sessions will cover timely topics, including GLP-1s, oncology, pharmacy access, clinical documentation for VBAs, and what’s next for the Star Ratings.
Monday, April 13, is the final day to take advantage of the early registration and PQA hotel discounts. Don’t wait, because the Yankees are in town to play the Orioles, and hotel space is very limited! Learn more about the meeting below.
We also highlight our members' perspectives on elder care, pharmacist communications and the pharmacy workforce. If you have news you'd like for us to spotlight in an upcoming Five For Friday, send us an email!
-- Richard Schmitz, PQA Chief Engagement Officer
Homebound elderly patients and their caregivers often face significant challenges keeping up with the management of complex, chronic conditions and multiple medications, as well as fragmented care coordination, particularly after hospital visits, according to Tim Weber of Cencora. Long term care at home is the most significant initiative that Good Neighbor Pharmacies has implemented to address the needs of elderly patients and their caregivers.
Assessing Pharmacist-Patient Communication
Researchers have assessed the communication concordance between pharmacists and patients during medication counseling. Patients are not always walking away with the right message, pointing to a critical gap between information delivered and retained, according to a study from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy and Touro College of Pharmacy, and funded by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation.
Walgreens Chief Pharmacy Officer Rick Gates explored the modernization behind his organization’s newly introduced ‘hybrid pharmacist’ role. “What we really have to start focusing on now is modernizing how we actually hire pharmacists, train pharmacists, work with them to really have the impact that we know they can have day in and day out..."
Finalize Your Plans for the 2026 PQA Annual Meeting
Finalize your plans to join us in Baltimore! Time and space are running out to make your reservation at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. Plus, register for the meeting today to take advantage of early pricing.
The 2026 PQA Annual Meeting provides in-person, high-impact opportunities for networking, professional development, continuing education, and strategic engagement with business partners and prospects. See the agenda for more about our general sessions, breakout sessions and speakers.
We are looking forward to connecting with you all to discuss our shared goals to advance medication use quality. Register and reserve your room today!
Your Next Engagement Opportunities
Network, Learn and Collaborate with PQA
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Help Celebrate PQA’s 20th Anniversary! Use this form to share your stories and perspectives on PQA’s work to advance medication use quality. Do you have photos or mementos from PQA’s 20 years that you can share? Send your pictures to [email protected].
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Join us for the 2nd Quarter 2026 PQA Member Webinar on April 29, 1-2 p.m. ET. PQA Member Webinars share current quality measurement and research updates with members. Registration information can be found in the Member Resources Library.
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Save the date to join us at the 2026 PQA Annual Meeting, May 12-14, at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Md. PQA's collaborative approach makes our meeting the preferred destination for quality improvement professionals. Learn more.