Comprehensive Education Initiative Includes Collaboration With Pharmacy
Quality Solutions to use EQuIPP™ to Track Pharmacy Performance
VALLEY FORGE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 18, 2013--
AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE:ABC) today announced a CMS Star
measure improvement initiative for members of the Good Neighbor
Pharmacy network, a group of more than 3,200 independent pharmacies
across the nation.
“CMS has been evaluating health plans on Star measures for years. The
shift in the healthcare industry to performance-based care has made a
plan’s star rating a critical factor for the community pharmacy,
especially since five of the performance measures, 48% of the total Part
D star rating, are related to medication management,” said AJ
Caffentzis, Senior Vice President at AmerisourceBergen.
“AmerisourceBergen is committed to the success of community pharmacy and
is proud to provide this critical educational initiative to our Good
Neighbor Pharmacy members. This is the latest example of how
AmerisourceBergen is shaping healthcare delivery.”
The CMS Star measure improvement initiative includes an agreement with
Pharmacy Quality Solutions, Inc. to bring EQuIPP™ to Good
Neighbor Pharmacymembers. EQuIPP™ (Electronic Quality
Improvement Platform for Plans and Pharmacies) is a national platform
for medication-related quality measurement, benchmarking and
collaboration amongst health plans, prescription benefit managers and
community pharmacies. EQuIPP™ aggregates data from multiple
health plans and pharmacies to measure the quality of medication use,
including non-adherence, and makes this measurement available to all
participants. By serving as a neutral intermediary for quality
measurement and benchmarking, EQuIPP™ enables pharmacies and
health plans to focus on improving the quality and safety of medication
use.
In addition, the improvement initiative includes a CMS Star measure
educational series offered to members of Good Neighbor Pharmacy.
The series, occurring in dozens of locations, imparts the latest
knowledge from AmerisourceBergen experts on why Star measures are now
important for community pharmacies and how pharmacies can improve their
rating, passed through health plans. A national educational roadshow is
also planned in partnership with Dr. Tripp Logan, a community practice
pharmacist and owner of Logan & Seiler, Inc. in Charleston, Missouri.
Dr. Logan is also co-developer and co-owner of MedHere Today, a
medication adherence and star rating consulting group. Dr. Logan is a
member of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy network and is an expert on
the CMS Star measure system’s impact on community pharmacy.
“We are excited to bring EQuIPP to the thousands of pharmacies in the Good
Neighbor Pharmacy,” said David Nau, President of Pharmacy Quality
Solutions. “It is clear that the leadership of Good Neighbor Pharmacy
is committed to helping their pharmacies track the quality of their
patient-care services and continually strive to achieve the highest
standards of pharmacy quality in the country.”
For more information on EQuIPP, go to www.EQuIPP.org
About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen is one of the largest global pharmaceutical sourcing
and distribution services companies, helping both healthcare providers
and pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers improve patient access to
products and enhance patient care. With services ranging from drug
distribution and niche premium logistics to reimbursement and
pharmaceutical consulting services, AmerisourceBergen delivers
innovative programs and solutions across the pharmaceutical supply
channel. With nearly $100 billion in annualized revenue,
AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs
approximately 13,000 people. AmerisourceBergen is ranked #32 on the
Fortune 500 list. For more information, go to www.amerisourcebergen.com.
About Good Neighbor Pharmacy Network
Good Neighbor Pharmacy is a national network of more than 3,200
independent community pharmacies. Our mission is to provide communities
with options when it comes to their healthcare needs, along with the
personalized service, affordable products and care that only an
independent community pharmacy can delivery. Good Neighbor Pharmacy
is a program by AmerisourceBergen Corporation, one of the world’s
largest pharmaceutical companies. For more information, go to GoodNeighborPharmacy.com.
About Pharmacy Quality Solutions
Pharmacy Quality Solutions (PQS) is a joint venture of the Pharmacy
Quality Alliance and CECity. Its primary service, EQuIPP™, is a
performance information management platform that makes unbiased
quality-related data available to health plans and community pharmacy
organizations. EQuIPP™ brings standardization to the measurement of the
quality of medication use and makes this information accessible and easy
to understand. For more information, go to www.pharmacyquality.com
or www.EQuIPP.org
Source: AmerisourceBergen Corporation
AmerisourceBergen Corporation
Brett Ludwig, 610-727-2306
bludwig@amerisourcebergen.com
or
Vault
Communications
Kaitlin Moyer, 610-455-2749
kmoyer@vaultcommunications.com