Quality Measures in the Long-term and Post-acute Care Settings: A Narrative Overview

Pharmacists have historically been compensated through fees tied to traditional prescription medication dispensing in a pharmacy. However, contemporary pharmacy practice involves a wide range of direct patient-care activities across different settings, including long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC). The shift from fee-for-service (FFS) to value-based care (VBC) models necessitates the development of quality measures (QMs) that encompass pharmacists' clinical contributions that bring value to patient care and streamline costs.Although many pharmacists in LTPAC settings provide services above and beyond the traditional, regulatory-based requirements, the lack of QMs that acknowledge these clinical-based activities excludes pharmacists from fully participating in value-based reimbursement models. This article provides an overview of quality measures and examines the limitations of current metrics in the LTPAC setting. It also describes the efforts and conclusions of two ASCP volunteer workgroups tasked with identifying LTPAC-specific quality measures and outlines three areas for action.