Pharmacy Quality Alliance recognizes Medicare plans for excellence in quality of medication use based on overall performance and medication safety measures
ORANGE, Calif. (May 14, 2020) – Alignment Healthcare has been recognized by the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) for excellence in quality among Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage – the third consecutive year that Alignment has achieved this honor.
This year, PQA recognized 24 Medicare plan contracts for high achievement or significant improvement in PQA measures of medication safety and appropriate use. The awards were announced today at PQA’s annual meeting.
Alignment managed two of the contracts recognized for excellence in quality:
- Alignment Health Plan (H3815)
- BlueMedicare Preferred (H2758)
“The Pharmacy Quality Alliance is pleased to recognize Alignment Healthcare once again for its high achievement in excellence in quality of medication use,” said Laura Cranston, PQA CEO. “Effective medication use is extremely important in the Medicare Part D program, and we congratulate Alignment Healthcare for its commitment to high quality medication use strategies to care for its members.”
Many people find it hard to take their medications every day, especially older adults who are prone to have multiple chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol. Taking medicine as prescribed, known as medication adherence, is a critical component in the treatment of chronic diseases.
[1] Common reasons for nonadherence among the elderly population can include fear of side effects, cost and lack of understanding of medication adherence. Failure to take medications as prescribed could result in disease progression, emergency room visits and unnecessary hospitalization and readmissions.
“At Alignment Healthcare, we understand the importance of identifying and addressing each member’s barrier to medication adherence,” said Ruby Liu, Pharm.D., director of pharmacy services at Alignment Healthcare. “Using sophisticated data analytics and concierge-level clinical interventions, we focused on improving medication adherence among our senior population by building a scalable medication management model to help our members take their medications as prescribed, reduce health care cost and prevent progression of chronic illnesses.”
PQA Excellence in Quality Awards go to Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans that achieve at least a 4.5-star out of 5-star Part D summary rating and a perfect 5-star rating on all five PQA medication measures used in the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid star ratings program. Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating.
“More than ever, Alignment Healthcare is committed to putting seniors first,” said Dawn Maroney, Alignment Healthcare president. “I am very proud of the commitment and dedication our pharmacy team has demonstrated to help our members manage their medications better and live a healthier lifestyle.”
In 2019, Alignment Healthcare was recognized by PQA for high achievement in overall prescription drug performance and quality in medication use. Alignment was also the first health plan to receive PQA’s 2018 Excellence in Quality Award and Quality Improvement Award in the same year. The Alignment team also earned high marks from the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute in 2017 for improving medication adherence rates among seniors being treated for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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About Alignment Healthcare
Alignment Healthcare is redefining the business of health care by shifting the focus from payments to people. We’ve created a new model for health care delivery that cuts costs and improves lives by unraveling the inefficiencies of the current system to drive patients, providers and payers toward a common goal of wellness. Harnessing best practices from Medicare Advantage, our innovative data-management technology allows us to commit to caring for seniors and those who need it most: the chronically ill and frail. Alignment Healthcare provides partners and patients with customized care and service where they need it and when they need it, including clinical coordination, risk management and technology facilitation. Alignment Healthcare offers health plan options to California residents through Alignment Health Plan and partners with select health plans in North Carolina to help deliver better benefits at lower costs. For more information, please visit
www.alignmenthealthcare.com.
Media Contact
Cindy Keo
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