PQS by Innovaccer Associates Brittany Boyd and Ray Arizmendi team up to chat about highlights from the Pharmacy Quality Alliance Meeting (PQA) 2025. 

Brittany Boyd, PQS Associate Director, Pharmacy Training and Support, and Ray Arizmendi, PQS Director of Customer Success, cover PQA event vibes and conference structure. They talk about sessions they enjoyed and the PQS by Innovaccer unveiling of EQUIPP Copilot. 

Community Care Rx in Malvern, AR recently won a "Most Earned" APCI pharmacy star award for their use of EQUIPP for 2024.  Shelyn Davis, PharmD, Owner, and Samantha Pennington, PharmD, Pharmacist Manager of Community Care Rx share how they achieved "Most Earned" status by taking advantage of the Enhanced Services opportunities in EQUIPP. 

Host Brittany Boyd, Associate Director of Pharmacy Training and Support at PQS by Innovaccer asks Shelyn Davis about the pharmacy's overall success and digs in with Samantha Pennington on how they incorporated EQUIPP into the pharmacy's workflow.

Vic Johnson, RPh, BCNP, owner and Pharmacist in Charge, at Living Well Pharmacy in Augusta, GA, talks with the Quality Corner Show about how their pharmacy achieved the "Most Improved" APCI pharmacy from 2023 to 2024 in EQUIPP and receiving an inaugural Star Award.

Host Brittany Boyd, Associate Director of Pharmacy Training and Support at PQS by Innovaccer asks Johnson about logging into EQUIPP and incorporating it into daily workflow processes. Johnson explains the ease-of-use of the platform and thanks his staff for their support in winning this first-time award.

Marci Strauss, PharmD, Manager, Clinical Operations at Pharmacy First talks about medication adherence and clinical services in 2025 and what expectations and opportunities are available for pharmacies this year.

Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts, asks Strauss about revenue generating clinical services programs, continuous quality improvement, and how to prioritize these programs throughout 2025. Strauss recommends the pharmacist work with staff to understand contracts, review patient outreach and communications, and leverage appointment based models.

https://www.pharmacyfirst.com/

Marie Smith, PharmD, FNAP, Henry A. Palmer Professor - Pharmacy Practice and Asst. Dean -- Practice and Public Policy Partnerships at UCONN School of Pharmacy, explains the value of including pharmacists into primary care teams for clinical services.
PQS Quality Corner Show Host Nick Dorich asks Smith to talk about her Health Affairs publication from a November 2024, "Building The Primary Care Workforce With Pharmacist Clinical Services." Smith elaborates on why pharmacists are necessary team members for Primary Care Teams, and how their services can help with the rising population demand. Pharmacists can also help decrease workload hours and increase in patient access and care.

Read the full article: Building the Primary Care Workforce with Pharmacist Clinical Services- Health Affairs Nov. 13, 2024

Todd Sega, Managing Director of Pharmacy at PQS by Innovaccer, predicts five key changes will drive pharmacy’s value-based care evolution in 2025 in this PQS Quality Corner Show episode.

Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts, acts as host on this episode and interviews Todd on key changes to non-dispensing revenue opportunities, pharmacy-payer partnerships, medicare market changes and more.

Jesse McCullough, Founder of Keystone Pharmacy Insights, returns to the PQS by Innovaccer Quality Corner Show to discuss the seven levels of awareness as it relates to impacting pharmacy leadership.

Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts, asks McCullough to describe each level of the awareness spectrum, provide real world pharmacy examples, and explain how to climb this ladder of awareness.


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Keystone Pharmacy Insights

Jesse McCullough on LinkedIn
http://www.facebook.com/groups/kpipharmacy/

Join PQS for a mini-roundtable discussion about the 2024 NCPA Annual Convention and a recap of our interactions with pharmacists on the show floor about EQUIPP Enhanced Services.  The NCPA event was held the last weekend in October in Columbus, OH.

David Simoneaux, Sr. Communications Specialist, interviews Nick Dorich, Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts and Mital Patel, Quality Programs Engagement Specialist about their experiences with NCPA attendees and the pharmacist responses about using EQUIPP.

Emilee Kennelly, Manager of Adherence Improvement and Clinical Services at Rite Aid chats with the PQS by Innovaccer Quality Corner Show about empowering their pharmacy teams to improve patient care services and help patients manage their medications.

Quality Corner Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, and Emilee Kennelly talk about how to improve medication adherence for patients and provide enhanced services at a community level. Kennelly shares how using technology services to free up time for pharmacists to provide more clinical care services. She also talks about how EQUIPP helps Rite Aid pharmacists manage their customers' medication adherence.

More about Rite Aid

Claire Schrunk, PharmD, Director of Clinical Pharmacy Operations at EPIC Pharmacies, Inc., talks with the Quality Corner Show about how they recommend using EQUIPP to boost patient care and revenue. 

Host Brittany Boyd, Sr. Manager of Pharmacy Training and Support at PQS by Innovaccer asks Schrunk about the benefits that pharmacies are seeing from using EQUIPP. Schrunk explains the importance of reviewing opportunities related to quality measure medication adherence and Enhanced Services and provides some tips for pharmacies on using the platform. 

Emily Endres, VP of Pharmacy for PQS by Innovaccer conversed with Abdou Bah, SVP, Medical Management and Chief Health Equity Officer at EmblemHealth, on how community pharmacies are reshaping healthcare delivery in a recent online webinar.

Discussions revolved around pharmacy partnerships, clinical services, blood pressure management and encouraging seasonal immunizations. 

Listeners can learn more about how innovative, team-based strategies are driving quality outcomes and improving chronic disease management. This webinar was originally presented on September 27, 2024.

The PQS by Innovaccer Quality Corner Show talks with Christine Perry, R,Ph, Manager, Pharmacy Recruiting and College Relations at Albertsons about transitioning into a pharmacist role and growing as a pharmacist.

Perry talks about areas of focus and certifications necessary to become a successful pharmacist. She also provides advice for future pharmacists and pharmacy technicians entering the field on how to thrive, but more importantly, why they should follow their heart when choosing their path forward.

Nikki Price, Director of Managed Care at Albertsons guests on the PQS by Innovaccer Quality Corner Show to talk about partnering with PQS to expand new pharmacy services and improve patient care through performance programs.

Quality Corner Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, and Nikki Price talk about working with health plans on new programs and services that create patient impact. Discussion revolves around how to involve the pharmacies while taking in pharmacist considerations. Price also talks about the patient response to these new programs and services.

The PQS Quality Corner Show talks with Kennedy Erickson, staff pharmacist at Chehalis Pharmacy in Washington about opening a new pharmacy, promoting patient care services in the local community, and growing a "PHARMaly."

Erickson explains how a new pharmacy location can be promoted from the original store location to create a buzz in the new community. She adds that new and unique services can help your pharmacy stand out, but that repeating the message about these services are necessary for patient involvement and understanding.

The Quality Corner Show chats with Dave McCormick, Director, Immunization Division of the Indiana Department of Health about the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) and improving access to immunizations for Indiana adolescents.

Podcast Host Nick Dorich asks why this age range is an area for improvement and how pharmacies can make a difference. McCormick explains how pharmacies in Indiana can provide immunizations for children 11 and older and how their expanded hours allows more flexibility for families.

For more information on the VFC program visit https://www.in.gov/health/immunization/vaccines-for-children/

or for quick access to tools on EQUIPP's Knowledge Base
https://support.pharmacyquality.com/hc/en-us/articles/27295877141275-Adolescent-Vaccinations

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. The Quality Corner Show chats with Marvin Ferguson, RPh, M.B.A, LSSGB, PMSP, and President of MarvLeads about Minority Mental Health at the community level in this episode.

PQS Senior Manager, Pharmacy Training and Support, Brittany Boyd, MHA, interviews Ferguson about ways to positively impact a patient's mental health, and Ferguson provides tools, resources, and examples of national and local organizations that help support mental health services. 

The PQS by Innovaccer Quality Corner Show talks with Natalie K. Powers, PharmD, R.Ph., BCMTMS, and Supervisor of MTM & Clinical Operations at Kinney Drugs about transforming care and engaging patients with EQUIPP.

Quality Corner Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, asks Natalie what her pharmacy team is doing to be successful in 2024, how EQUIPP is helping operations, and the impact Enhanced Services is having on patient care and medication adherence.

The Quality Corner Show sits down with U-Save-It Pharmacy co-owners to talk about how they use EQUIPP in a management setting for all 46 of their pharmacies.

Joining us on this podcast episode:
Tommy Sharpe, CEO, Crowe's Management, VP/Co-Owner U-Save-It Pharmacies/Buy-Rite Drugs

Ashley Kunkle, PharmD, Chief Officer of Pharmacy Operations, Crowe's Management, Co-Owner, U-Save-It Pharmacies

and

Lori McLean, PharmD, Manager of Pharmacy Operations, Crowe's Management, Third Party Contract Specialist, Crowe's Management, Co-Owner, U-Save-It Pharmacies

PQS Senior Manager, Pharmacy Training and Support, Brittany Boyd, MHA, interviews this U-Save-It team about how EQUIPP and Enhanced Services programs are helping to drive business success and successful patient outcomes. 

Amanda Ryan, PharmD, BCGP, CPHQ, Director of Education, Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) joins the Quality Corner Show to talk about what to expect at the upcoming PQA Annual Meeting 2024 in Baltimore on May 14 - 16.

Quality Corner Show Host and PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich asks Ryan about the main reasons to attend this year's meeting, who is attending, and how to register. Ryan breaks down the agenda for the event and promotes additional opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy students.

2024 PQA Annual Meeting Website

The Quality Corner show reunites with Veronica Vernon, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, MSCP, and Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Pharmacy Practice  at Butler College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for a newsworthy update on contraception access at the pharmacy level.

Vernon chats with podcast host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts about medical terminology for contraception, pharmacy prescribing at the state level, and the recent announcement of the OTC norgestrel pill, Opill.

Vernon first appeared on S3 EP23
Addressing Healthcare for the LGBTQIA Community - Roundtable Discussion

The Quality Corner show welcomes back Vibhuti Arya, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA and Professor at St. John's University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for a discussion on interpersonal conflict and how that relates to healthcare.
Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, chats with Arya about different types of conflict and how connections are formed through these conflicts.
Discussion revolves around internal boundaries and external relationships and the conversations that form from these interactions.

Vibhuti Arya on previous episodes:
SDOH
Improving Data and Storytelling for SDOH

PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Training and Support, Brittany Boyd, returns to the Quality Corner show to help unpack the full year of performance data for 2023 in EQUIPP that is available with the 2024 February EQUIPP Refresh. 

Boyd talks with Quality Corner Show Host and PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich, about what pharmacies can do with the full year performance data, where to start, and best tips in reviewing this information. She also promotes a team effort mentality on how pharmacies can engage their staff in working together in EQUIPP.

The PQS Quality Corner Show welcomes back PQS Director of Analytics and Program Development Andrew Thorne, PharmD, MS, to talk about findings from the 2023 Trend Report in Pharmacy Quality.
Thorne first breaks down the first chapter of the report that studies the impact of socio-demographic factors, including age, gender, and low-income subsidy (LIS) status, on adherence rates for Cholesterol, Diabetes, and Renin Angiotensin System Antagonists (RASA) Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) measures.
He then talks about the trend report examines how adherence can be impacted by factors such as drug switching within a measurement year and the utilization of extended fills.

Download the 2023 PQS Trend Report in Pharmacy Quality

Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, chats with Emily Endres, VP of Client Services at PQS about why pharmacy and healthcare quality will matter more in 2024.

Endres talks briefly about CMS legislation in 2024 and how that affects quality care and why that still matters for pharmacies. There is also discussion about what pharmacy teams should prioritize in relation to medication, adherence and and engagement.

Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, partners with fellow teammate Connor Kovatch, Customer Experience Specialist to run down answers to the top EQUIPP questions from 2023.
 Kovatch addresses common questions that EQUIPP users have had related to medication adherence performance rates. Questions cover scenarios where patients have discontinued medications, are in hospice care, or have recently deceased.