CVS Data Accuracy and Detail 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a prescription transfer, which piece of information is most critical to confirm with the sending pharmacy?
- The color of the pill
- The remaining refills authorized by the prescriber (Correct answer)
- The pharmacy's store hours
- The customer's preferred payment method
Correct answer: The remaining refills authorized by the prescriber
Remaining authorized refills determine whether a transfer is legally permissible and how many fills the customer is entitled to receive.
Question 2: You notice a data entry field requires an NDC (National Drug Code) of exactly 11 digits, but the code pasted from the supplier is 10 digits. What should you do?
- Add a random digit at the end to meet the requirement
- Identify and apply the correct leading-zero format before entering (Correct answer)
- Leave the field blank and proceed
- Enter the 10-digit code and note the discrepancy
Correct answer: Identify and apply the correct leading-zero format before entering
NDC codes must follow the correct format (often requiring a leading zero in one segment); applying the proper format ensures the correct product is identified.
Question 3: A prescription is written for 'Metoprolol Tartrate 25 mg' but the system auto-populates 'Metoprolol Succinate 25 mg.' What is the correct action?
- Dispense the succinate form since the dose is the same
- Correct the entry to tartrate and verify with the pharmacist before dispensing (Correct answer)
- Dispense whichever form is in stock
- Contact the patient to ask which they prefer
Correct answer: Correct the entry to tartrate and verify with the pharmacist before dispensing
Tartrate and succinate are different salt forms with different dosing profiles; the prescriber's exact specification must be followed.
Question 4: When double-checking a prescription label, which element should always be compared directly against the original paper or electronic prescription?
- Label font size
- Drug name, strength, and dosage instructions (Correct answer)
- Pharmacy logo placement
- Pill bottle color
Correct answer: Drug name, strength, and dosage instructions
Drug name, strength, and dosage instructions are the core safety identifiers and must match the original prescription exactly.
Question 5: A report shows that 3% of prescriptions in the past month had incorrect date-of-birth entries. Which corrective action best addresses the root cause?
- Discipline the employees who made the errors
- Add a mandatory DOB confirmation step at data entry and train staff on its importance (Correct answer)
- Remove DOB from prescription records to eliminate errors
- Increase prescription processing speed targets
Correct answer: Add a mandatory DOB confirmation step at data entry and train staff on its importance
Adding a confirmation step addresses the process gap that allows errors to enter the system, and training reinforces why accuracy matters.
Question 6: An allergy field for a patient currently lists 'Penicillin.' The patient tells you to also add 'Sulfa drugs.' What is the proper step?
- Replace 'Penicillin' with 'Sulfa drugs' since it is the newest information
- Add 'Sulfa drugs' to the existing allergy list without removing Penicillin (Correct answer)
- Tell the patient to have their doctor update the allergy list
- Ignore the update because allergy fields are read-only
Correct answer: Add 'Sulfa drugs' to the existing allergy list without removing Penicillin
Allergy records must be cumulative; removing a previously documented allergy could lead to a dangerous dispensing error.
Question 7: A coworker suggests rounding a patient's weight from 68.3 kg to 70 kg in a dosing calculation system 'to make it easier.' What is the best response?
- Agree, since the difference is minor
- Decline and enter the exact weight, as rounding can affect dosing accuracy (Correct answer)
- Round up to the nearest 5 kg for simplicity
- Enter both values and let the system choose
Correct answer: Decline and enter the exact weight, as rounding can affect dosing accuracy
Weight-based dosing requires precise values; rounding introduces inaccuracy that can result in under- or over-dosing.
CVS Data Accuracy and Detail 3
During a prescription transfer, which piece of information is most critical to confirm with the sending pharmacy?