PQA has appointed 16 individuals from member organizations to serve on a technical expert panel (TEP) to review and provide input on draft specifications for the pharmacy measure concept, Specialty Pharmacy Prescription Abandonment Rate [Pharmacy] (SP-AR-PH).

The SP-AR-PH TEP will inform a measure concept to assess the percentage of new prescriptions received by a specialty pharmacy that are not obtained by the patient within the measure’s specified timeframe.

The panelists self-nominated and were selected by PQA staff based on experience in the specialty pharmacy space and measure development. The appointed panelists are:

• Amy Bataoel, Humana
• Vanessa Campbell, UPMC Health Plan
• Carmine Colavecchia, Pfizer
• Joshua Cox, Dayton Physicians Network (Representing Community Oncology Alliance)
• Mary Dorholt, Express Scripts
• Audra Earnheart, CVS Health
• David Eckwright, Magellan Rx Management
• Diane Faraone, PurpleLab
• Jeremy Faulks, Thrifty White Pharmacy
• Mike Hearty, Johnson & Johnson
• Jennifer Morrison, Navitus Health Solutions
• Mel Nelson, Fairview Pharmacy Services
• Gabrielle Pierce, ASHP
• Thom Platt, University of Kentucky Specialty Pharmacy
• Kristen Whelchel, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Edward Witt, Walgreens

The draft measure concept description and specifications will be informed and refined through TEP input. The TEP has three objectives:

• Address key questions identified during initial measure concept specification;
• Assist the PQA team in refining draft measure concept specifications; and
• Make recommendations on potential advancement of the measure concept for PQA Quality Metrics Expert Panel review prior to testing.

PQA aims for this measure concept to advance through our consensus-based development process and to be put forward for public comment and endorsement consideration.  

As part of PQA’s pharmacy measure development strategy, PQA convened multi-stakeholder groups to identify and prioritize specialty pharmacy measure concepts for potential development. Across these groups, specialty pharmacy prescription abandonment rate has been in the top five prioritized measure concepts to consider for development. Measuring abandonment rate consistently using a standardized measure is critical to facilitate appropriate comparisons and quality improvement efforts.

Visit our Measure Development page to learn more about PQA’s process for developing measures that matter. There are opportunities for all members to participate in the process, as well as nomination-based panels and groups like the Specialty Pharmacy Prescription Abandonment Rate [Pharmacy] (SP-AR-PH) TEP.