Practice Test for the PTCB Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam

A Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) requires a patient to use ____ and either recommends or requires the use of ____.

in-network pharmacies; generic drugs

The 4 parts of Medicare are: Part A (hospital insurance), Part B (medical insurance), Part C (Medicare Advantage Plan that is private insurance), and Part D (______________________).

prescription drug insurance

When a patient presents an insurance card, the information is entered into the computer, and a claim is sent to the insurance company for payment or rejection. The process of the insurance company accepting or rejecting a claim is called ____.

adjudication

The process in which a drug requires further review to determine if it is covered is called ____.

prior authorization

Who is contracted by insurance companies to process the claims for the insurance company's members?

PBM or Pharmacy Benefits Manager

The block-rate payment collected from patients for their share of the prescription cost is called a ____.

copay

Which of these is usually not found on a patient's prescription card?

date of birth

Which would not be considered a dependent of the employee who purchased the insurance?

child age 27 and above, who does not have access to other health insurance

When a provider receives payment based on the condition he or she is treating, it is called ____.

the episode-of-care approach

When do pharmacies not use ICD codes?

during drug recalls

In which of these scenarios would you report information to the FDA MedWatch website?

A patient reports an unusual or dangerous side effect from a medication.

The pharmacy manager notices that a number of alprazolam tablets are missing. Which of these reports can be used to help determine if a pharmacy worker is taking the tablets for unauthorized use?

a diversion report

Which of these is not a benefit of using an automated dispensing cabinet such as Pyxis, Omnicell, and MedSelect?

automatic ordering of medication

Patients in a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) can use ____.

in-network or out-of-network pharmacies

What government entity runs Medicaid?

state governments

The codes used to bill different medical conditions are called ____.

ICD codes

What is a flexible spending account?

an account through a patient's employer where patients can use pre-tax dollars for medical expenses

The term used to describe the services provided by a pharmacy to patients in an assisted living facility or a nursing home is called ____.

long-term care

Patients with more than one third-party payer will utilize this process for the benefits of both plans to be used.

coordination of benefits / COB

A technician using a pharmacy computer system can perform all of the following except ____.

verify a prescription is correct

What is a clinical decision support alert?

an alert that the ordered medication may interact with other medications on the patient's profile

A hospital pharmacy stores medication in the central pharmacy and in automated dispensing cabinets on patient floors. Which report can be used to determine how many pills of a medication are in stock for the purchaser to know if more should be ordered?

inventory report

Which statement is false regarding the technological standards to which a pharmacy computer system must adhere?

These standards ensure that the ordered medication is safe for a patient.

When billing a prescription for 30 syringes of enoxaparin 40 mg/0.4 ml, the pharmacy technician bills the insurance company for a quantity of 12 ml (0.4 ml per syringe x 30 syringes). The standards for billing this prescription were decided by ____.

the National Council for Prescription Drug Program

A patient's medication profile will say the date the medication is billed and/or picked up. This helps the technician know all of the following except ____.

if a patient is taking his or her medication correctly

In an electronic medical record for a hospitalized patient, the patient's location will be listed as ____.

the room number and bed number

Which of these statements is true regarding a patient's medication profile?

It must be maintained for at least 2 years after the date a medication was dispensed to a patient.

Medication dispensing robots and machines that fill and label medication vials may be used in community pharmacies to ____.

make the filling process efficient and allow pharmacy personnel to perform other activities

A community pharmacy's computer system is unfortunately down. This pharmacy will be unable to process prescriptions because ____.

there must be a record of who worked on the prescription

What is a lot number?

a unique number given to each drug during the manufacturing process

During a drug recall, how can a pharmacy know what drug stock needs to be pulled?

by lot number

What is a formulary?

an approved list of drugs a hospital pharmacy will use to fill hospital orders

Who develops a formulary?

the hospital's Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee

What is a therapeutic substitution?

substitution of a drug for another drug that is chemically different but exerts the same clinical effect

What is par level?

the minimum amount of drug stock that should be kept on hand

Which of these is not required in pharmacy documentation logs?

the time prescriptions are dropped off

At what temperature should refrigerated items be kept?

36 to 46 degrees F

Room temperature is considered to be

68 to 77 degrees F

Freezer temperatures should be kept from

-13 to 14 degrees F

Who can issue a drug recall?

a drug manufacturer or the FDA

How many classes of drug recalls are there?

3

Which drug class recall concerns a drug that is not likely to cause adverse health consequences?

Class 3 Recall

Which drug class recall involves a reasonable probability the drug will cause serious adverse health consequences or death?

Class 1 Recall

Which of these indicates a situation in which a drug does not need to be placed in quarantine?

an opened bottle of drug stock

Who monitors a drug's safety once it is approved?

the FDA

The process by which a pharmacy sends outdated, unusable drug products back to the drug manufacturer for processing or disposal is called ____.

reverse distribution

Which of these recalls would be issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a medication that was deemed to cause temporary adverse health effects for patients that used that medication?

class II recall

Which of these laws states that all medication products must have directions for use and appropriate safety warnings?

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C)

Prescription records can be stored in only three possible ways:

2 files: (CII) and (non-controlled + CIII-V)

2 files: (CII-V) and (non-controlled)

3 files: (CII) and (CIII-V) and (non-controlled)

How long do prescription records need to be retained onsite by a pharmacy?

2 to 5 years, depending on the state

According to the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA), what is the maximum amount of pseudoephedrine a customer can purchase in a 30-day period?

9 grams

Which of these can be performed by the pharmacist only?

transferring a prescription via an unshared network

Which of these is always true regarding Schedule II controlled substances?

The pharmacist in charge must verify and document the date received on all received CII medications.

What needs to be documented on all transferred prescriptions for a prescription for a controlled substance ( CIII-V)?

the DEA number of the transferring pharmacy

Which set of regulations dictate the appropriate standards for sterile compounding?

USP 797

When purchasing products containing pseudoephedrine, what needs to be documented in the logbook (hand-written or electronic)?

the total amount of pseudoephedrine purchased

Which of these sets the standards for keeping pharmacy employees safe while completing tasks associated with pharmacy practice?

the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

What is the most appropriate source of instructions on the proper way to store and handle a hazardous substance?

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

Which of these is true regarding the disposal of hazardous drug waste?

It must be stored in a leakproof container.

Which of these is required for sterile compounding but not for non-sterile compounding?

laminar flow hood

Which of these is true regarding pharmacy equipment?

Pharmacies are required to have temperature-controlled storage for medications even if they do not dispense refrigerated prescriptions.

Which resource is not required to be on hand in the pharmacy?

a compounding manual

What is the term for "any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the healthcare professional, patient, or consumer"?

medication error

Which of these is an example of a knowledge deficit?

Employee was not given information necessary to perform an assigned task.

To avoid transcription errors in the pharmacy, which of these solutions is recommended?

Repeat back all phone orders before hanging up.

Which of these is a source of information that is directed toward pharmacy staff instead of patients?

package insert

What organization is the authority on high-alert medications across different healthcare settings?

Institute for Safe Medication Practices

What is the term used to describe "drugs that can cause significant and considerable harm when used in error"?

high-alert medications

Which oral dosage form of medication can be crushed or chewed if needed?

immediate-release

Which of these scenarios represents a potential hospital pharmacy error?

transcription error

Which of these scenarios represents a potential prescriber error?

illegible handwriting

With what type of medication should a patient package insert be provided?

estrogen-containing medications

All of this information is required on a prescription label except ____.

original date of the prescription

Non-controlled prescriptions are valid for how long?

1 year from the date the prescription was written

What is adjudication?

a pharmacy system sends a claim to the patient's insurance company for payment

NDC or National Drug Code number is an 11-digit number consisting of three sets of numbers in this order:

the labeler, the drug, and the package

This is a warning placed on certain drugs of potential hazards associated with taking the drug.

black box warning

Toprol is the brand name for what medication?

metoprolol

What source should be used to determine therapeutic equivalence?

Orange Book

Which dosage form is to be shaken well prior to administration?

otic suspension

_________ is an acute medical condition requiring short-term therapy. Diabetes, hypertension, and Crohn's disease are all examples of chronic medical conditions, which may require lifelong drug therapy.

pneumonia

Liver failure can result from an unintentional overdosage of what over-the-counter pain reliever?

acetaminophen

What is an example of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug?

ibuprofen

What is the first step to complete when a quality-related event occurs such as a medication error?

Treat the patient for any adverse effects.

Which safety organization provides a list of inappropriate abbreviations for medication orders to help prevent medication errors?

ISMP ,The Institute for Safe Medical Practices

Which of these is an example of a fail-safe in pharmacy operations?

the computer not letting you process a prescription without the pharmacists initials on the label

Which of these is a measure of quality?

employee evaluation

Which of these is an example of using automation and computerization to improve the safety of filling prescriptions?

the computer system checking for drug interactions

A filter needle is required when withdrawing solution from which of these?

an ampule

What is the maximum number of days a water-based compounded oral solution is considered to be stable (maximum stability date)?

14 days

Which of the following is not a sign of incompatibility?

nonuniform product

Which of these is required to be documented for all compounded products?

the lot number

These need to be documented for all compounded products:

Product names and amount/strength of each used including how compound was mixed
A product specific lot number
The name of all the people preparing the compound (e.g., technicians and pharmacist who checks it)
Date of preparation
Storage requirements
Beyond-use dating
Labeling requirements for all prescriptions

When making a sterile compound, what is the next step after setting all materials in the sterile compounding hood?

Uncap the vials and swab the rubber stopper with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

The appropriate order for sterile compounding is listed here:

Remove the plastic cap and swab the vial stopper with 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Swab all sterile surfaces being used during manipulation such as all vials and the injection port on the IV bag.
Uncap needle and withdraw a volume of air equal to the desired volume of liquid to be extracted.
Insert the needle into the vial at a 45-degree angle and the bevel side up (to avoid coring the vial) and then straighten out the needle. Do not block the airflow from the laminar flow hood.
Push air into the vial and extract the desired volume.
Remove the needle and inject contents into the IV bag through the specified port.
Discard the needle in the sharps container and throw all other waste in the appropriate trash bin.

How many people should be involved in the compounding process of a single prescription?

one

Which of these is true regarding opening an ampule during sterile compounding?

The neck of the ampule should be swabbed with 70% isopropyl alcohol prior to breaking it.

To open an ampule, follow these steps:

Swab the ampule with 70% isopropyl alcohol especially in the neck (thinnest) area.
Covering the ampule with an alcohol swab, grip the top of the ampule and bottom of the ampule with the thumb and index finger of each hand (one hand on top, the other on the bottom).
With a quick motion, snap the ampule at the neck being careful not to break it toward the HEPA filter (break toward the side of the hood).

During non-sterile compounding, when should you put on all Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

after all formulas and calculations are completed

These steps describe the process for non-sterile compounding:

Using the prescription, create a formula for the intended product including any calculations and specific amounts of ingredients needed.
Wash hands and put on all required PPE.
Obtain any hardware supplies such as a balance or graduated cylinder.
Weigh/measure out all ingredients using the proper measurement tools.
Following the recipe, combine the ingredients in the correct ratios and in the proper order.
Document the exact amounts used and label the final product including final strengths of ingredients.