BOSTON — May 19, 2021 — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ (“Blue Cross”) Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, Blue MedicareRx, has been honored with a Laura Cranston Excellence in Quality Award from The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA), a national organization dedicated to supporting better medication use and high-quality care.

The award, named for PQA’s founding CEO, is based on published Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Part D Star ratings and recognizes high achievement on PQA measures of medication safety and appropriate use. To be recognized, Prescription Drug Plans must achieve at least a 4.5-star Part D summary rating and at least a 4-star rating on all five PQA medication measures used in the 2021 CMS program.

“We are proud to be recognized by PQA for our efforts addressing medication safety and appropriate use,” said Lynne Newson, vice president of Medicare strategy at Blue Cross. “Our programs aim to help our members and clinical partners make informed decisions improving the quality of their health care.” 

PQA has issued annual quality awards since 2011 to recognize the nation’s highest achieving prescription drug plans for quality measures on medication safety and appropriate use. This year’s awards were presented during the online 2021 PQA Annual Meeting.

“The effective use of medications is a top issue for all care providers, and it is extremely important in the Medicare Part D program,” said PQA CEO Micah Cost, PharmD, MS. “This year, PQA recognizes 16 plans for their exemplary management of medications for their Medicare members. The excellence and improvement recognized by these awards reflect the organizations’ commitment to high quality medication use strategies by the plans and their partners to care for patients.”

Blue Cross Medicare plans are highly rated, with Medicare Advantage PPO and HMO plans and Blue MedicareRx Prescription Drug Plan all receiving an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars for CY2021 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, equitable and affordable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation’s best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.BlueLinks for Employers