PQS Quality Corner Show

Patients trust their pharmacist, but trust doesn't always mean they accept a vaccine recommendation. In this episode of the PQS Quality Corner Show, Dr. Todd Wolynn, pediatrician and Executive Director of the Trusted Messenger Program, walks through the Immunization Playbook for Pharmacy, built with input from pharmacists and pharmacy technicians ahead of respiratory season.

Get the playbook: https://bit.ly/3S9rasB

Independent pharmacy owners Richard Stryker, RPh., (Bayshore Pharmacy) and Theresa Tolle, BPharm, FAPhA,  (Bay Street Pharmacy) join PQS host Rosalyn Otting, PharmD, to break down how performance-based care is reshaping pharmacy revenue. They cover the three keys to getting paid for clinical programs: prioritizing opportunities, fitting them into daily workflow, and scaling them for growth. Topics include MedSync as the anchor for clinical billing, quarterly check-ins and on-time-fill bonuses, point-of-care testing (blood pressure, A1c), pay-for-performance networks tied to Medicare Star measures, and staff buy-in strategies for rolling out new programs. The episode closes with a look ahead to 2027 Star Rating changes, including a new depression screening measure, and where pharmacists see the biggest opportunities over the next 3-5 years, from cardiovascular screenings to maternal health and community-based care.

Host Nick Dorich and PQS teammates Terilyn Flores, Josh Elyash, and Rosalyn "Roz" Otting recap three summer 2026 independent pharmacy trade shows (McKesson ideaShare, Cardinal RBC, and Cencora ThoughtSpot) where they met with over 500 pharmacies. Find out what the biggest takeaways were from each event on how to make the most of EQUIPP in your pharmacy.  Common questions covered accessing EQUIPP and the Copilot, training resources, and how often to check for new opportunities. 

Host Nick Dorich talks with Scott D. Pope, PharmD, CEO and founder of CareerScript, about his framework distinguishing "patient" from "consumer" mindsets in healthcare, how patients arrive underinformed, and hyper-informed consumers spending their own money demand more. They discuss how real-world friction can turn pharmacists into perceived gatekeepers, and the need for pharmacies to self-assess and shift toward consumer-valued advisory care. Pope also takes time to explain how individual pharmacists need better career-navigation tools than generic personality tests and the gap CareerScript fills. 

https://www.careerscript.com

PQS Quality Corner Show Host Nick Dorich sits down with Davis Porcari, who leads the PQS customer support team, to answer the most frequently asked EQUIPP questions of 2026. The goal: help pharmacists and pharmacy technicians get more out of the platform and spend less time on administrative friction, more time on patient care. 

To mark PQA's 20th anniversary, PQS Managing Director Todd Sega sits down with Laura Cranston, the founding CEO who built PQA from a one-person shop into the most influential pharmacy quality measurement organization in the country.

Laura traces PQA's origins to April 2006, just months after Medicare Part D launched, talks about the alliance’s growth, the groundwork for what would eventually become the EQUIPP platform, and the broader pharmacy quality infrastructure in use today.

The conversation turns to the seismic shift in the CY2027 Final Rule and what it means that pharmacy-accountable clinical measures now command roughly 50% of a Medicare Advantage plan's Star Rating. Laura calls it a game changer, arguing that health plans simply cannot navigate this new environment without doubling down on their partnerships with community pharmacy.

The episode closes with a look ahead at where AI and technology are taking quality measurement from faster measure development to the shift from retrospective accountability toward proactive, near-real-time quality improvement.

https://www.pqa.org/

Blair Thielemier, a pharmacist, and PQS Customer Success EQUIPP Copilot Specialist, shares her experience leading a group of 12 healthcare professionals on a nine-day Healing Medicine Retreat through Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, a trip designed to help providers unplug, recharge, and reconnect with themselves.

This episode, hosted by PQS Associate Director of Pharmacy Accounts Nick Dorich, covers why providers struggle to truly unplug, how the retreat is intentionally structured to address that (private villa, customized meals, wildlife excursions, yoga, and meditation), and how the experience can carry over into healthier daily habits back home. Blair also touches on the group dynamic — like-minded professionals vetted through 1:1 calls — and announces upcoming retreats in November 2026 and April 2027. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/btpharmacyconsulting/

This special Diabetes Alert Day episode of the Quality Corner Show focuses on how pharmacy teams can move beyond dispensing to become proactive leaders in chronic disease management.

Host Ashley Ramer, MSN,RN, is joined by Terilyn St. Pierre, BSN, RN, to discuss the critical role of Hemoglobin A1C testing in the pharmacy setting. With 1 in 10 U.S. adults living with diabetes, and many unaware of their status, the pharmacy serves as a frequent and accessible touchpoint for closing essential care gaps.

In this episode, we cover the power of immediacy, clinical essentials, EQUIPP resources and a step by step demonstration. 

 In this episode of the PQS Quality Corner Show, hosts Kerri Musselman and Emily Endres celebrate Heart Health Month by exploring the critical link between community pharmacy, maternal health, and cardiovascular wellness. Their guest, Andrea Brookhart (Director of Population Health and Wellness at Kroger), shares her insights as both a clinical leader and a mother of twins.

This episode touches on the Pharmacist as an accessible ally, the "Silent Killer" and prevention, gender differences in cardiac care, the "Mom Factor,” and self-care.

Dr. Andrea Brookhart is a community pharmacist who is passionate about helping people live healthier lives.  In her role, she develops and implements Kroger Health’s strategy for achieving population health via value-based care.  She believes community-based providers are uniquely poised to improve healthcare quality and decrease cost by delivering preventive healthcare and improving medication use.

Dr. Brookhart is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Community-based Pharmacy Residency Program a Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist.

In this first episode for 2026, Host Kerri Musselman, PharmD, BCACP, introduces Ashley Ramer, MSN, RN, to discuss the launch of EQUIPP Academy, a new educational platform designed to help pharmacy teams navigate value-based care and non-dispensing revenue opportunities. The conversation focuses on making clinical education accessible for busy pharmacy staff without interrupting patient care. 

EQUIPP Academy is structured around "micro-learning" modules. Most lessons are 5 minutes or less, allowing staff to gain essential knowledge on-demand during small gaps in their schedule.

Who Should Participate: The academy is designed for all pharmacy team members, from new hires to seasoned staff, who handle EQUIPP data or patient outreach.

Your pharmacy team can get started at https://equippacademy.com/