| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| adverse reaction | a bothersome or unwanted effect that results from the use of a drug, unrelated to the intended effect of the drug |
| ambulatory care pharmacy | a pharmacy generally located within or in close proximity to a clinic, hospital, or medical center that provides medication services to ambulatory patients |
| brand name drug | a drug that is covered by a patent and is therefore available only from a single manufacturer |
| chain pharmacy | a pharmacy that is part of a large number of corporately owned pharmacies that use the same name and carry similarly branded OTC products |
| clinic pharmacy | an ampulatory pharmacy located in a clinic or medical center to serve the needs of outpatients |
| community pharmacy | generally a stand-alone pharmacy located within a community that provides medication services to ambulatory patients |
| copayment (copay) | the prortion of the cost of a prescription that the patient is responsible for paying, when a part of the cost is covered by a third-party payer |
| dispensing | the act of preparing a medication for use by a patient as authorized by a prescription |
| drug interactions | effects caused by the combined actions of two or more drugs used simultaneously |
| formulary | a list of drugs and their tiers that a third-party payer will cover |
| generic drug | a drug that is no longer covered by a patent and is therefore generaly available from multiple manufacturers, usually resulting in a significent reduction in cost |
| health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) | federal legislation enacted to establish guidlines for the protection of patients' private health care information |
| independent pharmacy | a community pharmacy or small group of pharmacies in a limited geographic area that are owned by a single individual or a small number of individuals |
| managed care pharmacy | an ambulatory care pharmacy that is owned and operated as part of a managed care system such as a health maintenance organization |
| mail-order pharmacy | a pharmacy that functions like a werehouse, with pharmacists and technicians who dispense prescriptions that are mailed to (not picked up by) patients |
| medication guides | patient information approved by the FDA to help patients avoid serious effects, inform patients about known serious effects, and provide directions to promote adherence to the treatment. These are available for specific drugs and must be with prescription |
| national drug code (NDC) number | a unique number assigned to each drug, strength, and package size for the purpose of identification |
| over the counter (OTC) drugs | drugs that are available without a prescription |
| patient counseling | the act of educating a patient, by a pharmacist, regarding the proper use of a prescribed drug, at the time of dispensing |
| prescription | the written or verbal authorization, by an authorized prescriber, for the use of a particular pharmaceutical agent for an individual patient. This term also refers to the physical product dispensed |
| rembursement | money that is collected from a third-party payer to cover partial cost or the entire cost of a prescription for a patient |
| third-party payer | an entity other than the patient that is involved in paying partial cost or the entire cost of a prescription for a patent |
