YOUR GUIDE TO PASSING THE PTCB EXAM

  BRAND:          GENERIC:          USE:

1) Ativan            Lorazepam         Anxiety/Insomnia

2) Augmentin     Amoxicillin           Bacterial Infection

3) Zoloft             Sertraline            Depression/OCD/Other

4) Advair            Fluticasone         Asthma 

5) Xanax           Benzodiazepine    Anxiety 

Likelihood of this being in the PTCB Exam: LIKELY

After the "COMBAT METHAMPHETAMINE EPIDEMIC ACT" of 2005 was passed, ALL items containing EPHEDRINE, PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, and PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE, REQUIRE a VALID U.S GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID, LICENSE or PASSPORT in order to be purchased.

Some examples of these items are:

SUDAFED

CLARITIN-D

ALLEGRA-D

ZYRTEC-D

And Any Generic Equivalent

These items are usually held inside the Pharmacy and many stores require it to be sold at the Pharmacy only. Your workplace will train you on how to sell these items as well on the requirements a customer must meet in order to buy them. Here are some basics:

A Customer MUST:

Be 18 Years or Older

Have a VALID , NON-EXPIRED , U.S STATE ISSUED ID, LICENSE or U.S PASSPORT. 

The CURRENT FEDERAL LIMIT on how much PSEUDOEPHEDRINE can be bought by a customer is:

3.6 GRAMS PER DAY and/or 9.0 GRAMS A MONTH

This means that a customer can buy up to 3.6 grams of PSEUDOEPHEDRINE one day, but he/she CANNOT buy more than 9.0 grams in a month. 

How can you keep track of this?

Most chain retail stores (CVS, Walgreens, etc) have a system installed in their Registers (POS) called "METHCHECK" that allows them to keep track of anyone buying PSEUDOEPHEDRINE products anywhere in the U.S. If a customer approaches your pharmacy and tries to buy ALLEGRA-D and he's reached his 9.0 grams per month limit, the Register will not let you complete the sale.

*As always, consult your store manager*

Likelihood of this being in the PTCB Exam: VERY LIKELY

1) DISPENSE - disp.

2) DISPENSE AS WRITTEN - DAW

3) DRUG UTILIZATION REVIEW - DUR

4) NO KNOWN ALLERGIES - NKA

*IMPORTANT* *IMPORTANT* *IMPORTANT* *IMPORTANT*

The HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT of 1996, mostly known as "HIPAA" was enacted to ensure PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY and PRIVACY. As a Pharmacy Professional, HIPAA is a big part of your workplace, in ensuring no Protected Health Information (PHI) is given to any who isn't authorized. 

What is considered Protected Health Information (PHI)?

PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE RECORDS and/or ANY INFORMATION about TREATMENT or CARE, MENTAL or PHYSICAL that can be traced back to a Patient. 

ANY PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE RECORDS of PAYMENT for MEDICAL SERVICES that can be traced back to a Patient. 

In another words, as a Pharmacy Professional, by law you are required to protect Mr.Smith's information about the medications he's on, or any medical conditions that he has. Even how much he pays for his co-pays is considered Protected Health Information (PHI).

When can you disclose a patient's Protected Health Information (PHI)?

When providing TREATMENT to the PATIENT or the PATIENT'S CAREGIVER.

When providing INFORMATION to other HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.

Likelihood of this being in the PTCB Exam: VERY LIKELY

The CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT of 1970, is perhaps one of the most important pieces of legislature in Pharmacy. It established the DEA and also created the FIVE CLASSES we know today as "SCHEDULES" of Controlled Substances. These Schedules represent the potential for abuse of each drug, the Schedules range from I to V (1 to 5):

SCHEDULE I ( C-I  ): HIGH POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE AND ADDICTION. NO CURRENT ACCEPTED MEDICAL USE IN THE UNITED STATES. Drugs under this schedule are currently considered ILLEGAL in the United States. 

Examples: HEROIN, LSD , MARIJUANA 

SCHEDULE II ( C-II  ): HIGH POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE AND ADDICTION. However, Drugs in Schedule II HAVE AN ACCEPTED MEDICAL USE. NO REFILLS ALLOWED and a MAXIMUM of 30 Days Supply Allowed.  

Examples: COCAINE, MORPHINE , RITALIN

SCHEDULE III ( C-III  ): MODERATE POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE AND ADDICTION. 5 REFILLS ALLOWED. Prescription is valid only for 6 Months from Original Date Issued. 

Examples: VICODIN , LORTAB , TYLENOL #3

SCHEDULE IV ( C-IV  ): LOW POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE AND ADDICTION. 5 REFILLS ALLOWED. Prescription is valid only for 6 Months from Original Date Issued. 

Examples: VALIUM , LIBRIUM 

SCHEDULE V: ( C-V  ): LOW POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE AND ADDICTION. NO LIMITS ON REFILLS. Prescription is valid for 12 Months from Original Date Issued. 

Examples: Lomotil

ALL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES MUST HAVE WRITTEN ON THEM A VALID DEA NUMBER.

Likelihood of this being in the PTCB Exam: VERY LIKELY

The FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) is a Federal Agency responsible for protecting the public health by setting standards for DRUGS, BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS, MEDICAL DEVICES, FOOD and COSMETICS. The FDA ensures the SAFETY, EFFICACY and SECURITY of these products as well as REVIEWING and APPROVING NEW DRUGS.

Likelihood of this being in the PTCB Exam: VERY LIKELY

In this blog, I will be posting some of my good/bad experiences that have happened to me while working in a pharmacy. I hope that you can learn from my mistakes and not repeat them yourself.

When I first started working at a pharmacy, I didn't really know how to input new prescriptions into the computer system, so whenever a customer came to the Drive-Thru and dropped off a new prescription from the doctor, I just took it from them and gave it to the person who was at the Drop-Off Station. I never realized how much this annoyed my co-workers because some prescriptions were for controlled Substances and I never really bothered to look for the DEA Number on the script, or if the patient's address and date of birth was written on there. So my co-workers had to call the doctor to get him to give us his DEA Number and then call the customer to tell her/him that their prescription is going to be filled later on, and in the end, delay the whole process both for us and the customer. 

The moral of this story is:

Whenever you receive a new prescription, always look for the following:

1) PATIENT'S FULL NAME

2) PATIENT'S FULL ADDRESS AND DATE OF BIRTH

3) DRUG NAME, STRENGTH, AND QUANTITY

4) DIRECTIONS (aka SIG)

5) DOCTOR'S DEA NUMBER (if a Controlled Substance *Check Your State Law*)

6) DOCTOR'S PHONE NUMBER AND ADDRESS

7) DOCTOR'S SIGNATURE

Likelihood of this being in the PTCB Exam: LIKELY

A DEA NUMBER is a number assigned to a health care provider, (i.e: MEDICAL PRACTITIONER,DENTIST,VETERINARIAN) by the DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA), that allows them to write prescriptions for CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES. Each DEA Number is unique to every prescriber, and MUST be present on every prescription for a controlled substance.

A Valid DEA Number Consist of 2 Letters, 6 Numbers and 1 Check Digit.

To Verify A DEA Number:

 Step 1) ADD the FIRST, THIRD and FIFTH Digits.

Step 2) ADD the SECOND, FOURTH and SIXTH Digits, Then MULTIPLY by 2.

STEP 3) ADD the sums of STEP 1 and STEP 2. If the SECOND DIGIT of the total sum matches the LAST DIGIT in the DEA Number, then the DEA Number is valid. 

EXAMPLE:

B J 6 1 2 5 3 4 1 

Step 1) 6 + 2 + 3 = 11

Step 2) 1 + 5 + 4 = 10 x 2 = 20

Step 3) 11 + 20 = 31

Last Digit in Step 3 is a 1, the last digit in the DEA number is also a 1, therefore this DEA Number is VALID.

Likelihood of this being in a question in the PTCB Exam: VERY LIKELY

The DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA) is a Federal Agency that REGULATES the legal trade of NARCOTIC and DANGEROUS DRUGS, it also works with other agencies (FBI, SBOP) to prevent illegal drug trafficking. 

Likelihood of this being a question in the PTCB Exam: VERY LIKELY

Every State in the United States (and to some extend some U.S Territories and the District of Columbia) has a STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY. Your STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY is the state agency that registers and regulates PHARMACIES, PHARMACISTS and PHARMACY TECHNICIANS. Your STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY (SBOP) has the authority to monitor, reprimand and if necessary revoke/suspend licenses of both Pharmacies and Pharmacy Professionals. 

Likelihood of this being a question in the PTCB Exam: VERY LIKELY