Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, talks about pharmacist intervention to close statin gaps with Jennifer L. Bacci, PharmD, MPH, BCACP, Endowed Associate Professor in Innovative Pharmacy Practice at University of Washington School of Pharmacy. She's one of the co-authors of the JAMA article
Community Pharmacist Intervention to Optimize Statin Adherence in Diabetes Care.

In this episode Bacci explains why statin initiation is an important clinical gap for patients with diabetes and how pharmacist involvement can improve patient outcomes.

The PQS Quality Corner Show welcomes Thomas Franko, PharmD, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Wilkes University on the podcast to talk about the upcoming release of OTC Naloxone and what that means for pharmacists in improving community access. 

Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts also asks Franko about where Naloxone will fit in the pharmacy setting and how pharmacists can tackle education on this medicine. 

How can pharmacists utilize year-to-date data in EQUIPP for continuous quality improvement? 
The PQS Quality Corner Show Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts asks Crosby Tindal, PharmD, BCPS, Pharmacy Quality Manager, Operations Specialist at Cub Pharmacies about pharmacy team adherence-focused goals using year-to-date and end of year data. 
Tindal offers some strategy on using EQUIPP data throughout the year and what improving patient outcomes means for his team.

PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich, PharmD,  wraps up APhA 2023 with a set of interviews with Sidrah Alam, PharmD, MS PGx, Jessica K. Marx, PharmD, BCPS, and Sandra Rosa, B.S., R.PH.  
The group speaks about the importance of professional involvement at APhA, connecting with friends and pharmily, and the mental rejuvenation after attending the conference. 

The Quality Corner Show welcomes back DeLon Canterbury, PharmD, BCGP, Deprescribing Implementation Strategist and President/CEO of GeriatRx, Inc. , to talk about deprescribing antipsychotic medications in geriatric populations and why the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is cracking down on nursing homes that overprescribe antipsychotic drugs.
Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, asks Canterbury how to safely deprescribe antipsychotic medications and how providers, patients, and caregivers define improving patient outcomes as it relates to these medications.

website:
Geriatrx.org

Salam Kabbani, PharmD, Infectious Diseases Pharmacist Specialist and author of COVID Long-Hauler: My Life Since COVID joins the Quality Corner Show to talk about the patient experience and what pharmacists need to understand about Long COVID. 
Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, asks Kabbani to define Long COVID and explain how healthcare providers are learning and adapting to working with Long COVID patients.
 
Visit Salam Kabbani's website
Book: COVID Long-Hauler: My Life Since COVID

The PQS Quality Corner Show welcomes back PQS Senior Manager of Data Analytics Andrew Thorne, PharmD, MS, to talk about findings from the 2022 Trend Report in Pharmacy Quality.
Highlighted topics include patient comfort levels on receiving new services at a pharmacy and whether pharmacists and pharmacy organizations are ready to embrace new services and value-based payment models. 
Thorne also addresses how likely health plans are to contract with pharmacies  to provide reimbursement and structure for point of care testing in the pharmacy.

Download the PQS Trend Report in Pharmacy Quality

Angela Passamonte, PharmD. RPh, Clinical Programs Specialist at Retail Business Services joins the PQS Quality Corner Show to discuss the value of providing immunizations at a community pharmacy level with Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts.

Passamonte shares insight on topics including in-pharmacy pediatric vaccinations, receiving multiple vaccinations at one time, and new immunization opportunities on the horizon. 

For this upcoming heart health month,  Emily Young, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP, Cardiology Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner joins the Quality Corner Show to talk about Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) Risk Assessment  with Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts.

In this episode, Young explains a comprehensive approach to managing lipids and how that guides a treatment plan, and the typical medications involved.

To estimate risk for ASCVD, here's a link to the American College of Cardiology's Risk Estimator Plus. 

What goals should a pharmacy set to become high performing pharmacy? Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts talks with Ray Arizmendi, Sr. Account Executive, Payer Relations at PQS about things that pharmacies can do now to become high performing pharmacies in 2023. 

Arizmendi also talks about performance programs and the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes in this episode.

John D. Grabenstein, PhD, Managing Editor, Immunize.org, talks about how pharmacy teams have made an impact in COVID Clinical Services during the pandemic on the Quality Corner Show with Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts.
Grabenstein also talks about how pharmacists and pharmacy technicians experienced increased scope of practice.

John D. Grabenstein is the author of the Aug. 18, 2022 JAPha article "Essential services: Quantifying the contributions of America’s pharmacists in COVID-19 clinical interventions."

Jesse McCullough, Founder of Keystone Pharmacy Insights, returns as a guest on the PQS Quality Corner Show to talk about exploring leadership growth.  Topics include leadership growth plans, generational diversity in the workplace, and historical cycles and how that might relate to healthcare. 

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

PQS Senior Manager of Data Analytics Andrew Thorne, PharmD, MS, returns to the PQS Quality Corner Show to chat about the 2023 Medicare Part C & D Star Ratings Technical Notes with Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts.

Thorne explains how 2023 star ratings are set and how pharmacists can find value in updates to both Medicare Part C and D plans. There is also discussion on changes to PQA measures in part D.

PQS Quality Corner Show Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts, recaps EQUIPP's appearance at three summer trade shows including McKesson IdeaShare, Cardinal's RBC, and AmerisourceBergen's Thoughtspot in 2022.

Dorich interviews a few PQS team members that attended these shows including Connor Kovatch, Customer Experience Specialist; Cameron Marous, BI Engineer; and Sarah Malick, Software Engineer. Each team member talks about some of the common questions and comments they have received from customers concerning EQUIPP® .

Katie Dollar, PharmD, Clinical Staff Pharmacist at Price Chopper Pharmacy returns to the Quality Corner Show to provide immunization updates on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and rounds out a set of August Immunization Awareness Month episodes.

In this episode, podcast host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts asks Dollar about HPV guidelines, prevalence, risk factors and historical prevention efforts. Dollar reminds pharmacists to check with their state board of pharmacy and pharmacy practice laws in determining whether they can administer the vaccine and to which qualified patients in their state. 

The PQS Quality Corner Show talks with Jon​athan Little, PharmD, Research and Innovation Project Management Specialist at APhA Foundation and Tana N. Kaefer, PharmD,  Director of Clinical Services at Bremo Pharmacies about instilling vaccine confidence in pharmacy patients. 

In this episode, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich, PharmD, asks Little and Kaefer about key deterrents to vaccine confidence that pharmacists can address. Little and Kaefer also provide first hand examples of how they handle patient communications.

Project IMPACT: Vaccine Confidence was funded in part by a collaborative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — CoAg number 1 NU50CK000576-01-00. The CDC is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Contents of this podcast do not necessarily represent the CDC or HHS and should not be considered an endorsement by the Federal Government.

 https://vaccineconfident.pharmacist.com

The PQS Quality Corner Show talks with Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Vice President, Partnership Development Liza Chapman, PharmD, FAPhA, and Ryan Burke, PharmD, Director, Professional Affairs at PTCB about how the pharmacy technician's role with immunizations has evolved in the last three years. 

PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich, PharmD, also asks Chapman and Burke their thoughts on whether pharmacy technician provided immunizations are here to stay and what additional efforts are needed on the state or federal level to harmonize the roles and responsibilities of the pharmacy technician for these services.

PTCB
Link to PTCB Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv)

 Amanda Applegate, PharmD, BCACP, Director of Practice Development at Kansas Pharmacists Association, returns to the Quality Corner Show for a part II continuation of her discussion on adult immunizations that covers Hepatitis B, Influenza, Pneumococcal, and RSV vaccines.

Applegate touches upon flu vaccinations and relays to Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts how patients over the age of 65 should receive a high-dose  or enhanced flu shot. She also provides resource links for pharmacists to review for immunization questions and updates. 

The Quality Corner Show begins Immunization Awareness Month in August with the topic of COVID-19 immunization updates featuring Amanda Applegate, PharmD, BCACP, Director of Practice Development at Kansas Pharmacists Association.
Applegate chats with Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Senior Manager of Pharmacy Accounts about general recommendations  for vaccinations for patients age 6 months to 5 years old, boosters, and vaccine safety. 

PQS Chief Operating Officer Nancy Chung joins the Quality Corner Show to talk about the launch of the new EQUIPP® interface with Podcast Host Nick Dorich, PharmD, PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts.

Chung talks about what users can expect with the changes to EQUIPP®, including how it looks, how navigation works, new functionality, and other features.

More details are available here:
https://www.pharmacyquality.com/equippevolution/

The PQS Quality Corner Show hosts a roundtable discussion addressing healthcare for the LGBTQIA community featuring Veronica Vernon, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, NCMP, Assistant Professor, Butler University; Alex R. Mills, PharmD, BCACP, AAHIVP (He/Him/His), Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice (HIV, LGBTQ+ Health), University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy - Jackson Campus; and Kevin Astle, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, AAHIVP, CDCES Assistant Professor , University of South Florida.

PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich, PharmD, leads the discussion and starts by asking about barriers the LGBTQIA community faces regarding healthcare. 

PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich, PharmD,  chats with Joseph A. Nardolillo, PharmD, BCACP, (he/him/his) Assistant Professor (Clinical) Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University about how pharmacists can provide inclusive care for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Quality Corner Show takes a look back at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) 2022 Annual Meeting with interviews featuring: 

• Pharmacy Quality Alliance CEO Micah Cost, PharmD, MS
• Kristi Mitchell, MPH, CEO and Founder Health Equity Outcomes
• Brett Kay, Director, Healthcare Quality Strategic Customer Group, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems
• Tripp Logan, PharmD, Community Pharmacist at SEMO Rx Pharmacies & Services www.semorx.com and Consultant at ESPhA www.espha.net

Pharmacy Quality Alliance Chief Engagement Officer Richard Schmitz joins the Quality Corner Show to talk about how pharmacists can get the most out of PQA's Social Determinants of Health Resource Guide.

Schmitz explains that the guide focuses on seven key barriers that patients face and that pharmacists can work with their patients to address these barriers by providing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) services detailed within the guide.

More info available at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance website 

PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts, Nick Dorich, PharmD,  chats with Hanna Friedrich, PharmD, PGY1 Community Pharmacy Resident at CUB Pharmacy, about how pharmacists communicate to patients with asthma on this episode of the podcast.

Friedrich reviews the asthma disease state and goes over key counseling points with the patient concerning inhaler use. She also touches upon a recent research project focused on pharmacist-led patient education for asthma management.