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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) Board of Directors approved its 2023 Executive Committee and appointed six new members to the 25-member board during its 2022 fourth quarter meeting. The appointments are effective January 1.
Micha Cost
“PQA is guided by our dynamic and visionary Board of Directors,” Micah Cost, PQA’s Chief Executive Officer and an ex officio member of the board, said. “The leadership and direction that these individuals provide is vital to our continued success as an organization. I’m excited to welcome our six new board members and to continue to work alongside our returning board members to fulfill PQA’s mission.”
Michael Taday, Senior Vice President, CenterWell Pharmacy, formerly Humana Pharmacy, will serve as PQA’s board chair in 2023. Taday has been a member of the PQA board since 2020. Taday succeeds Michael Duteau, President, Noble Health Services, who served as PQA’s board chair in 2022 and will continue as a board member.
“PQA has a vital role to play in supporting the safe and effective use of medication,” Taday said. “I am proud to work alongside such a collaborative board, membership and staff to advance the pharmacy profession and to optimize medication use through research, measurement and other quality initiatives that improve patient care and health outcomes.”
PQA’s board, including its executive committee, represents the breadth and diversity of PQA’s multi-stakeholder membership. In addition to Taday, the 2023 executive committee includes:
- Susan Cantrell, Chief Executive Officer, AMCP (vice-chair)
- Michael Duteau, President, Noble Health Services (immediate past chair)
- Rick Gates, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy and Healthcare, Walgreens(secretary)
- Sharon Jhawar, Chief Pharmacy Officer, SCAN Health Plan (treasurer)
- Jim Kirby, Senior Director, Business Development, Kroger (member at large)
The new board appointments for 2023 are:
- Sheila Arquette, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP)
- Lida Etemad, Chief Executive Officer Part D, Senior Vice President Government Programs Pharmacy, United Healthcare
- Michelle Ketcham, Director, Division of Clinical and Operational Performance, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (Ex Officio Member)
- Christopher Powers, Vice President, Medicare Part D Stars, Cigna Insurance Company
- Jeff Rochon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pace Alliance, Inc.
- Jennifer Van Meter, Director, Healthcare Association Engagement, Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Twelve board members will continue their service in 2023:
- Amina Abubakar, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Avant Pharmacy & Wellness Center (representing CPESN USA)
- Shantanu Agrawal, Chief Health Officer, Elevance Health
- Vikki Ahern, Senior Vice President and Plan President of Medicare Part D, Magellan Rx Management
- Ilisa Bernstein, Interim Chief Executive Officer, American Pharmacists Association
- Ceci Connolly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alliance of Community Health Plans
- Lou Dallago, Vice President, Channel Management, Pfizer, Inc.
- Laurin Dixon, Lead Executive, Medicare Products, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Linda Garrelts MacLean, Vice President, Community Pharmacy Foundation, Professor Emeritus, Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals Sciences
- John Hill, Executive Vice President & GM, National Council for Prescription Drug Programs
- Brian Nightengale, President, Community & Specialty Pharmacy & Long-Term Care, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Amerisource Bergen
- Matt Osterhaus, Pharmacist, Osterhaus Pharmacy (representing National Community Pharmacists Association)
- Tricia Lee Rolle, Senior Advisor to the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
Jeffrey Kelman, CMS’s Chief Medical Officer, who served on PQA’s Board for more than 10 years as the center’s ex-officio member, will continue his work with PQA as a CMS Special Advisor to the Board.
PQA thanks the following board members and liaisons whose terms conclude at the end of the year:
- Alan Balch, Chief Executive Officer, Patient Advocate Foundation
- Christie Boutte, Senior Vice President, Reimbursement, Innovation and Advocacy, National Association of Chain Drug Stores
- Bhavesh Modi, Vice President, Pharmacy, Healthfirst
- Jason Spangler, Chief Executive Officer, Innovation and Value Initiative
- Jerry Penso, President and Chief Executive Officer, AMGA
- Harry Travis, President, The Travis Group, LLC
