Common Pharmacy Terminology

Brand name or proprietaryy drug

A drug sold by a drug company under a specific name or trademark and that is protected by a patent

Generic Medication

A medication that contains the same active ingredient(s) as the brand name product and delivers the same amount of medication to the body for a similar medicinal effect

Therapeutic Equivalent

A generic drug product that contains identical amounts of the same ingredient(s) as the brand name product and is available in the same dosage form, route of administration, and strength

Unit Dose package

A package that contains the amount of drug required for a single dose. Often medications in instituional settings are unit dosed

Drug Utilization Review ( DUR) warning

An alert or message generated by pharmacy or insurance company software notifying pharmacy personnel of a potential drug safety or payment concern

Systemic Effect

The distribution of a medication throughout the body by absorption into the bloodstream

Medication Categories

Legend (requires a prescription) and OTC (over-the-counter)

Proper Medication Storage

The correct temperature range, light sensitivity, and restrictive access for a specific drug

Electronic Medical Record ( EMR)

A computerized patient medical record

Contraindication

Situation in which a drug should absolutely not be used because the risk clearly outweighs the benefit; reasons include allergies, diseases, conditions, and concurrent medications

Off-label use

A practice of prescribing a medication for a different purpose than what the FDA approved

Signa ( sig)

The part of the prescription that provides the directions for the patient to follow when taking the medication

Route of administration

The way by which a drug is taken into the body. Common routes of administration include oral, topical, parenteral

High-alert/ risk medications

Medications that have a heightened risk of causing significant harm if used in error

Days supply

How many days a prescription will last if the patient uses it as directed

Protected health information (PHI)

Any personal information that could be used to identify an individual to their health history

Dispense as Written (DAW)

A method prescribers use to indicate the brand name of a product, not the generic equivalent, must be dispensed

ASAP order

A hospital order that needs to be processed as soon as possible

Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)

A process that requires providers to enter and send treatment instructions via computer application rather than paper, fax, or telephone. Benefits of CPOE include reduction of medication errors and improvement of patient safety ( digital system that lets doctors send medication orders straight to the pharmacy electronically)

p.r.n. order

An order that may be filled or administered upon patient/prescriber request

Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)

A nonprofit organization that provides impartial, timely, and accurate drug safety information to the medical community

Maximum allowable cost (MAC)

The maximum amount a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) will reimburse for a specific generic drug available from multiple manufacturers and sold at different prices

Therapeutic window

The range of drug dosages that can treat disease effectively without having toxic effects

BIN ( Bank Identification Number)

A number that identifies an insurance provider

PCN ( Processor Control Number)

A secondary number for routing insurance claims

GRP ( group number)

A number that identifies the employer through which the insurance is provided

Deductible

A set amount that must be paid by the patient for each benefit period prior to the insurer covering additional expenses

Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

A vaccine adverse event reporting system co-managed by the CDC and the FDA. VAERS is used as a national early warning system to detect possible safety problems with licensed vaccines

Beyond-use date (BUD)

The date assigned to a compounded or repackaged medication to indicate when to discard to product. Beyond-use date considerations include contamination risk and storage conditions ( a deadline in which the medication shoud not be used after)

Expiration date

A date that reflects the maximum time the product is guaranteed to remain stable if stored properly. If an expiration date is listed with only month and year, the expiration date should be interpreted as the last day of the assigned month

Tall Man lettering (TML)

A technique that uses uppercase lettering to help differentiate look-alike drug names. The FDA and the ISMP both maintain lists of drugs with recommended Tall Man lettering

Dosage form

The physical manifestion of the medication (e.g. capsule, tablet, solution, transdermal patch, etc.)

Parenteral administration

The delivery of a medication that bypasses the digestive tract. Parenteral routes of administration include subcutaneous, intravenous, and transdermal

Medication non adherence

When a patient does not take a prescribed medication or follow the prescriber's instructions for taking the medication

MedWatch

The FDA’s medical product safety reporting program for health professionals, patients and consumers; also called the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program

Co-pay

A portion of the prescription price the patient is required to pay

Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) medications

Medication names that look alike when written or sound alike when spoken

Medication error

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

Drug interaction

When a medication's effect on the body is changed by another drug, medical condition, food, or herb

Formulary

A list of medications that have been selected (e.g., by a hospital or insurance company) based on therapuetic and cost factors

Warning labels

Labels that identify specific warnings, foods or medications to avoid, potential side effects, and other cautionary interactions

Adverse drug reaction (ADR)

Unwanted or unexpected effect possibly related to a particular medication; also known as side effect

Adverse drug event (ADE)

Injury or harm that occurs as a result of exposure to a medication

Boxed warning

Information on a legend drug label calling attention to serious or life-threatening risks

Roman numerals

A numeral system originating in Rome where letters from the Latin alphabet are used to express numerical values

Drug class

A group of medications and other compounds that have similar chemical structures, the same mechanism of action (i.e., binding to the same biological target), similar modes of action, and/or are used to treat the similar diseases

Aseptic technique

The process of manipulating sterile products to prevent the introduction of pathogens

Medication Therapy Management (MTM)

A distinct service or group of services that optimize

Dual co-pay

Co-pays that have two prices, one for generic versions and one for brand name versions

Standing order

An order that may be filled or administered at regularly scheduled intervals

National Provider Identifer (NPI)

A unique 10-digit identification number for covered health care providers; typically used for billing purposes

Prior authorization

A requirement by health plans for patients to obtain approval of a health care service or medication before the care is provided. This allows the plan to evaluate whether care is medically necessary and otherwise covered

Par level

The minimum amount of inventory needed on hand to meet known demand and a small surplus in case of unexpected demand

Pharmacy benefits manager (PBM)

A third-party company that administers prescription drug programs

Enteral route of administration (ROA)

A ROA to any organ in the alimentary tract ( GI tract)

70% isopropyl alcohol

Common cleaning agent

STAT order

An order for medication to be administered immediately

Preferred provider organization (PPO)

A type of health plan that contracts with medical providers to create a network of participating providers. Coverage is provided to participants through the network of healthcare providers, such as hospitals and physicians

National Drug Code (NDC) number

A 10- or 11-digit number assigned to drug products that represents the manufacturer/labeler, product, and package size

Narrow therapeutic index (NTI) drug

A drug where small differences in dose or blood concentration may lead to serious therapeutic failures and/or adverse drug reactions