NPC and PQA Call for Research Proposals on Barriers to Medication Access

The National Pharmaceutical Council and (NPC) and the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) announced a new funding opportunity, aimed at supporting research to identify systemic approaches for lowering barriers to medication access. The request for proposals is an opportunity for researchers interested in exploring:

• How quality measurement can be targeted to improve medication access
• The impact of social determinants of health and other factors on medication access
• New models of care delivery to improve medication access

The research projects will build on the NPC-supported PQA publication of the Medication Access Patient Journey Framework, which identified seven main steps in the medication access journey and the structural, financial and personal barriers patients face within each. Patient health literacy was the most common barrier identified, with other barriers including medication-related costs and insurance. The framework was the centerpiece of a PQA report, Access to Care: Development of a Medication Access Framework for Quality Measurement.

“We know that barriers to medication access take a toll on patient health and cost billions of dollars in lost productivity, additional doctor visits, preventable hospitalizations and nursing home admissions, and even premature death,” said Kimberly Westrich, MA, NPC Vice President of Health Services Research. “We believe further research into the barriers identified in PQA’s analysis will help establish effective strategies for lowering those barriers, which will not only benefit patients, but also yield better outcomes and more value for the health care system as a whole.”

NPC and PQA plan to fund projects in the $50,000-$100,000 range that can be completed in less than one year. Learn more about the RFP, deadlines and details about the upcoming informational webinar on PQA’s website.