Pharmacy Pharmacy Informatics and Technology 3

Question 1

The 'five rights' of medication administration are verified by barcode medication administration (BCMA). A 'hard stop' in a smart pump DERS means:

Accepted Answer

The dose cannot be overridden by the nurse — the programmed rate exceeds an absolute safety limit

Answer

A hard stop in smart pump DERS is an uncrossable safety limit. If the programmed rate exceeds it, the pump will not deliver the dose until reprogrammed within safe parameters — unlike soft stops, which can be overridden with documentation.

Question 2

Pharmacy benefit management (PBM) systems process claims using a standardized electronic format. The predominant standard for pharmacy claims transactions is:

Accepted Answer

NCPDP D.0 (Telecommunication Standard)

Answer

NCPDP Telecommunication Standard (version D.0) is the universal format used for real-time electronic pharmacy claims adjudication between pharmacies, PBMs, and insurers in the US.

Question 3

A pharmacy implements a clinical surveillance system that monitors all dispensed medications for patients with new lab abnormalities. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Proactive pharmacovigilance and clinical decision support

Answer

Active clinical surveillance systems integrate dispensing data with lab results and clinical records to proactively identify patients at risk (e.g., elevated creatinine in a patient on nephrotoxic drugs), enabling pharmacist intervention.

Question 4

Electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) requires the prescriber to authenticate using:

Accepted Answer

Two-factor authentication (two of: something you know, something you have, something you are)

Answer

DEA's EPCS regulations require logical access controls with two-factor authentication using any two of: knowledge factor (password/PIN), possession factor (hard token, phone), or biometric factor (fingerprint, iris scan).

Question 5

Interoperability between pharmacy systems and other healthcare IT is important for patient safety because:

Accepted Answer

It enables a complete and current medication list to follow the patient across all care settings, reducing harmful gaps in information

Answer

True interoperability ensures a patient's current medications, allergies, and clinical data are accessible to all care providers. This prevents errors from incomplete medication histories during emergency visits, hospitalizations, or specialist referrals.

Pharmacy Practice Test

Pharmacy Practice Test

Pharmacy Pharmacy Informatics and Technology 3