# Pharmacy glossary

Short definitions of terms used in Canadian community pharmacies.

Canonical HTML version: https://pharmflow.io/glossary

## Adaptation

A pharmacist changes the dose, the formulation, or the drug on a prescription. The record stores the original drug, the adapted drug, and the reason. Recording it does not submit a claim.

## Adjudication

An insurer's decision on a drug claim: what the plan pays and what the patient pays. Insurance claims adjudication is not shipped.

## BIN

A 6-digit number unique to each adjudicator. The insurance billing guide lists the BIN for each carrier.

## Central fill

A packaging queue for a prescription. Status moves through queued, assigned, packaging, verification, and shipped.

## Deferred label

A prescription label saved before printing. The record stores the patient, the drug, the label format, and whether it has been printed.

## DIN

The Drug Identification Number on a Canadian drug product. It is eight digits. PharmFlow reads it from a barcode and checks the scanned package against the label.

## Medication review

A documented review of a patient's medications. The record stores the clinical need and the medications reviewed. Recording it does not submit a claim.

## Narcotic register

A log of narcotic, monitored, restricted (OAT), and controlled drugs the pharmacy dispensed. Each entry records the drug, its DIN, the quantity, the date, and who dispensed it.

## OAT

A prescription category with a required stop date. Each day is a witnessed, carry, or supervised dose. Staff record a missed dose on its own form.

## PHN

A British Columbia Personal Health Number. It has ten digits, starts with 9, and ends with a check digit. A valid structure does not confirm identity or coverage.

## SIG

Short codes for how a patient takes a drug, such as bid or po. PharmFlow expands a SIG into plain English.