Genoa pharmacist, Kroger win PQA, CPF awards
The Pharmacy Quality Alliance and the Community Pharmacy Foundation have named the winners of their 2020 Community Pharmacy Innovation in Quality Awards. The awards honor an individual and a community pharmacy, whose innovative practices have improved care quality, medication optimization and patient outcomes.
Kroger received the 2020 CPIQ Award recipient in the community pharmacy category. The organizations said that the award was merited based on the Cincinnati-based company's work to improve employee and customer health. Among the areas that the company has excelled has been in medication adherence, medication therapy management, health coaching, care transitions and nutrition. PQA and CPF also noted that Kroger has built community partnerships focused on interdisciplinary care and coaching for diabetes. It also has introduced a novel training program for pharmacists and technicians in order to focus on quality care.
The 2020 CPIQ Award recipient in the individual category is Vikram Sundararaman, a clinical pharmacy site manager for Genoa Healthcare. Sundararaman was recognized for his work building relationships with physicians, nurses and patients while providing timely and needed pharmacy services. Sundararaman has implemented face-to-face consultations, patient action plans and other care efforts that have improved performance-based metrics for adherence, hospital admissions and readmissions. "
“Congratulations to Sundararaman and Kroger for their innovative work using pharmacy services to improve health care delivery and the lives of patients,” said Laura Cranstone, CEO of PQA. “Sundararaman’s approach to relationship building is a model for everyone in healthcare. Kroger has made its frontline pharmacy staff a focal point for innovative programs that address community needs. Both are important examples of the future of pharmacy.”
Award nominations and their contributions to community pharmacy were evaluated for their innovation, measurable impact, replicability, scalability and reach. Priority areas of focus were practices or programs that addressed vulnerable populations, gaps in quality or patient care and the quadruple aim of healthcare: patient experience, population health, reducing costs and care team well-being.
“These awards celebrate innovation and progressive community pharmacy practice,” said Brian Jensen, a CPF Board member and former PQA board member. “Kroger and Sundararaman have developed, implemented and maintained patient-centered approaches to pharmacy services that we hope will spread across our health system and in value-based models that reward innovations that deliver good outcomes.”