Glossary words list

10F

VHA Office of Logistics

A&MM

Acquisition and Materiel Management

AAA

Authentication, Authorization and Access

AAC

Austin Automation Center

AAIP

Authorization and Authentication Infrastructure Program

ABC Inventory Analysis

A method used to categorize inventory into groups based on certain characteristics in order to develop inventory planning policies, plan orders, set inventory control schedules, and manage inventory quantity levels and costs. The three categories may be based on certain activity characteristics. “A” items compose 10% of the products but are 70% of the cost. “B” items compose 20% of the items but are 20 % of the cost. “C” items compose 70% of products but are 10% of the cost. Other ABC characteristics could be developed based on such things as consumption rates or drug characteristics such as risk or effectiveness.

Accept Order

An authorized user indicating to the system after entering an order that the order is complete and ready for signature. The acceptance of the order changes the order status to “Pending” (refer to Pending definition) and triggers a notification to the provider for a co-signature or second signature (if needed).

Accessor

A Java method that examines the state of an object, does not change it, and typically returns a result. Accessors are often called “getters,” and their names often start with “get.”

ACD

Automatic Call Distribution

ACID

Automicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability

ACK (HL7)

Acknowledgement

Acquisition and Materiel Management (A&MM)

The service organization that reviews all requests for supplies and equipment, and maintains systems, procedures, controls, and reports for: stock control, equipment planning and acquisition, property accounting and control, procurement from VA sources and other agencies, excess and exchange/sale property disposal, and supply fund management programs. The service organization also initiates and coordinates all equipment and supply action involving new and replacement facility construction, and audits invoices and all receiving reports and resolves discrepancies with Fiscal Service.

ACR

American College of Radiology

Activator

A person given the authority to review and “finish” a pending electronic product order so that it can be filled in accordance with Provider instructions.

Actor

A person who will use the envisioned system. Actors are used in Use Cases to document and model the envisioned System/User interaction.

Actor Generalization

An approach used in Use Case development to show that actors are specializations of one another. For example, the PEPS Manager actor is a generalization of a PEPS Local Manager and a PEPS National Manager.

ADA

American Disability Act

Additive

A drug (e.g., an electrolyte, vitamin, nutrient, antibiotic) that is added to an IV solution for the purpose of parenteral administration (giving a drug intravenously).

ADDS

Automated Drug Dispensing System

ADE

Adverse Drug Event

Administration Schedule Domain

Contains the sets of standard times over which medications are to be administered.

Administrative Discrepancy Limit

A VA Data Field in the PEPS system denoting the amount of a drug that can be missing before a criminal reporting process is started.

Admission/Discharge/

A module of the Patient Information Management System (PIMS) that provides a comprehensive range of software supporting the administrative functions of Patient registration, admission, discharge, and transfer.

Admixture

A type of intravenously administered medication comprised of any number of additives (including zero) in at least one solution. It is given at a specified flow rate.

ADPAC

Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator

ADR

Adverse Drug Reaction

ADR (Architecture)

Administrative Data Repository

ADT

Admission/Discharge/Transfer

Adverse Drug

The unwanted or unintended effects of an adverse drug event that occur during the drug’s proper use.

Adverse Drug Event (ADE)

The unwanted or unintended events caused by medical management rather than by the underlying disease or the condition of the Patient. May not always cause an injury.

Adverse Reaction Tracking (ART)

The VHA software package that stores and reports the Patient allergy or adverse reaction data.

AHFS (Framework)

American Hospital Formulary Service Framework

AICC

Aviation Industry CBT Committee

AID

Architecture and Interface Design Strategy Document

Alerts

A software object typically generated by an application in response to some particular event. Alerts are messages that require acknowledgement from their recipients.

Allocated Inventory

The quantity of physical inventory on-hand (i.e., in storage at that particular location) that is committed for use in filling activated Patient orders.

Alternate Flow

A term used when developing Use Cases. An Alternate Flow is one segment of a complete path through a Use Case.

Ambulatory Care Reporting Project

The process of collecting and storing encounter-based clinical, diagnostic, and administrative Outpatient data for daily transmission to the Austin Automation Center.

AMIS

Automated Management Information System

AMS

Addiction Management System

Ancillary Support

Auxiliary or secondary services provided to a patient in addition to his or her main healthcare services. For example, lab tests are typically considered ancillary support.

Another Neat

A Java-based software application building tool that provides full portability for pure Java code.

ANSI

American National Standards Institute

ANT

Another Neat Tool

API

Application Programming Interface

Application

A software product that provides a specified functionality.

Application Package Use

Indicates which VistA package uses the item (e.g., Inpatient, Outpatient).

Application Programming Interface (API)

Enables applications to communicate with each other. An API is the set of programming language constructs or statements that can be coded in an application program to obtain the specific functions and services provided by an underlying operating system or service program.

Application Services

A single logical authoritative source of data. Its purpose is to encapsulate the business rules associated with its data and to abstract the data source(s) from the applications and/or services that interact with it (i.e., Billing, Clinical Reminders, Person Demographics, Terminology, Appointment Management).

APRD

Audible Prescription Reading Devices

AR

Accounts Receivable

AR/WS

Inpatient Pharmacy Automatic Replenishment/Ward Stock

Architecture

The organizational structure of a system Hardware Configuration Item (HWCI), or Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI), identifying its components, their interfaces, and a concept of execution among them.

Area of Use

Any location where inventory is maintained, including pharmacies, Controlled Substances (CS) vaults, wards, clinics, etc.

ART

Adverse Reaction Tracking

Artifact

A physical piece of information used or produced by a software development process. Examples of artifacts include documents, models, source files, scripts, and binary executable files. It is a work product or a deliverable.

ASC

Accredited Standards Committees

ASIS

Application Structure and Integration Services

ASP

Active Server Page

Assumption

An external factor that may be true in the future and that may have an impact on how an application is built.

ASTM

American Society for Testing and Materials

Asynchronous

Events that are not synchronized by a shared signal such as clock or semaphore, proceeding independently.

ATC Canister

The brand name for the automatic dispensing unit that is used to package specific medications into unit dose packages.

ATP

Acceptance Test Plan

Attribute

A name property of the class or its objects.

Audit Record (Inventory)

A record stored in the system to allow tracking, accountability, reporting, and process metrics of specific actions. One example is the required accountability throughout the CS handling processes.

Authentication, Authorization, and Access (AAA) Security

The AAIP initiative has been replaced by KAAJEE.

Authoritative Source

A single, unambiguous, reliable, and official representation within a system.

Authorized User

A person given the appropriate system access and privileges to perform some task.

Automated Management Information System (AMIS)

A generalized system established to provide and meet the reporting requirements for the VHA and to provide statistical data for management use at all levels.

Automatic Refill

A valid refill request forwarded directly to dispensing. These types of refills do not require any form of intervention prior to dispensing.

Average Wholesale Price (AWP)

A “list price,” which few customers actually pay. There is no standard method for calculating the AWP.

AWP

Average Wholesale Price

AWT

Abstract Window Toolkit

Back Count

A process followed by Nursing that consists of counting a CS inventory location after medication is removed from it. An example would be a locked cabinet drawer in which morphine tablets are stored. Each time a tablet is removed, the nurse should do a “Back-Count” on the drawer by entering the remaining number of tablets into the system.

Baseline

A complete copy of a project that is captured to act as a “snapshot” of the project’s plans and status at a particular point in time. This frozen perspective is used to measure change from the original snapshot or picture of that original element.

Basic Flow

The main success scenario from trigger to completion.

BCMA

Bar Code Medication Administration

BEA

BEA Systems, Inc.

BID

Twice a Day

Black-box Testing

A testing technique that takes an external perspective of the system and does not explicitly use knowledge of the internal structure of the system. Testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested.

BO

Business Object

Borrow Order (Inventory)

Allows the local pharmacy to obtain inventory without placing a Vendor purchase order. This order does not involve billing, but will support “horse trading” for specific items with the lending institution. See glossary term Lend Order (Inventory).

BPR

Business Process Re-engineering

BSAD

Baseline System Architecture Document

Business Analysis Model

An object model describing the realization of business Use Cases.

Business Delegate

Used to hide the underlying implementation details of the business service, such as lookup and access details of the Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) architecture. The software intermediary used to decouple business components from the code that uses them.

Business Delegate Pattern

A façade used to encapsulate calls to your business model.

Business Engineering

A set of techniques a company uses to design its business according to specific goals.

Business Logic

The logic relating to processing, workflow, business rules, data, etc.

Business Logic Layer

The code that resides in this layer executes the work that needs to be done; it is responsible for carrying out the individual steps of a process. This layer is typically designed using business entities. The business entities implement the business rules. They do not store the business data; instead, they may hold references to data entities that store the data.

Business Model

A visual representation of business processes and entities. Comprises two models (physical or logical representation of a system or its subsystems): (1) a business Use Case model to describe the business actors and the business processes, and (2) a business object model to describe business entities used by the business Use Cases.

Business Object

An object that represents tangible entities within an application that a user can create, access, and manipulate while performing a Use Case. Business Objects are typically stateful, persistent, and long-lived. Business Objects contain business data and model the business behavior.

Business Process

A group of activities that takes input, transforms it, and provides an output to an internal/external customer (see glossary term Process). An example of a business process for a hospital would be “order fulfillment,” involving the input of several cross-functional activities resulting in a prescription in the hands of the Patient customer.

Business Process Model

A model that outlines the workflow of an organization. It uses text, diagrams, and/or graphical shapes to model the various steps of a process. Models can be detailed in nature (representing very specific tasks) or they can be high-level (representing interaction between major business units).

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)

The fundamental analysis and redesign of business processes and management systems, job definitions, organizational structures and beliefs, and behaviors to achieve dramatic performance improvements to meet contemporary requirements. Information Technology (IT) is a key enabler in this process.

Business Rules

The basic business vocabulary and criteria that control or guide business behavior; indicate what is required and not required in running the business. A statement expressing a policy or condition that governs business actions and establishes data integrity guidelines.

Business Service

The software object that a client asks to do asynchronous processing; a service in the business tier that can process a client’s software request.

C2

Represents a Schedule 2 Narcotic

Cache

A fast memory used to hold commonly used variables, which are automatically fetched by hardware from the slower and larger main computer memory.

Caché Relational Database

The post-relational database management system that has been identified by the VHA for data storage needs at the local level.

CAIP

Cross-Application Integration Protocol

Cancel

An undo action in a GUI (“cancel” is not an action on an order).

Candidate Architecture

The proposed design of a system structure.

Capability

A software element addressing a specific, well-defined functional responsibility of the containing service.

Capacity Management

The process of planning, analyzing, sizing, and optimizing automated capabilities to satisfy demand in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. This process should be proactive and responsive to business needs because the business cannot add resources after a capacity problem has happened without impacting performance.

Caregiver

A person who administers medication to the Patient. May pick up or receive medications for the Patient. May also communicate for the Patient in cases where the Patient is unable (e.g., Nurse, Resident, Physician, Spouse).

CBOC

Community Based Outpatient Clinic

CBPM

Current Business Process Model

CBT

Computer-Based Training

CCB

Change Control Board

CCM

Change and Configuration Management

CCOW

Clinical Context Management (formally Clinical Context Object Workgroup)

CDATA

Character Data

CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDER

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

CDS

Clinical Data Services

CDW

Clinical Data Warehouse

CE

Clinical Evaluator

CEN

Committee European de Normalization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The lead Federal Agency for protecting the health and safety of people at home and abroad, providing credible information to enhance health decisions, and promoting health through strong partnerships. Serves as the national focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.

CHAMPUS

Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services

Change Management

The formal process of recording, analyzing, estimating, tracking, and reporting of modifications to the project baseline artifacts, such as business functional requirements.

Change Request (CR)

The mechanism by which a change to a project deliverable or artifact is requested.

Change Set

A list of related versions associated with a change management activity.

Character Data (CDATA)

An XML section tag used to denote character data that will be ignored by the XML parser. The tag begins with the string “”.

CHCS

Composite Health Care System

CHDR

Clinical Data Repository/Health Data Repository

Check

A visual inspection by a pharmacist to ensure that the medication dispensed matches the labeled container.

Chemotherapy

The treatment of a disease using chemical agents that are intended to eliminate the causative organisms without harming the Patient.

Child Orders

One or more Inpatient medication orders that are linked together using the conjunctions AND, OR, THEN, or EXCEPT to create combinations of dosages, medication routes, administration schedules, and order durations.

CHIPS

Consolidated Health Information Program System

CHISS

Common Health Information Security Services

CI

Configuration Items

CID

Criteria Identification

CIF

Continuous Improvement Framework

CIO

Chief Information Officer

CIP

Capital Investment Proposal

Client

The person or organizational entity that pays for the development of a product.

Client Application

A piece of software that accesses remote services offered by another piece of software, usually over a network connection. In the user interface context, a client is a software application with which a user interacts to perform some function.

Client/Server

The model of interaction in distributed data processing in which a program at one location sends a request to a program at another location and awaits a response. The requesting program is called a client, and the answering program is called a server.

Clinical Context Management [formally Clinical Context Object Workgroup (CCOW)]

A vendor independent standard developed by the Health Level Seven (HL7) organization to allow clinical applications to share information at the point of care. Using a technique called “context management,” allows information in separate healthcare applications to be unified so that each individual application is referring to the same Patient, encounter, or user. Works for both client-server and Web-based applications.

Clinical Data Repository/Health Data Repository (CHDR)

A system extending the capabilities of interacting with Department of Defense (DoD) data sources. It will increase the accessibility of veteran health information. It is currently planned to be used where VHA and DoD share facilities for healthcare. The current plan is to merge the two capabilities into a set of services.

Clinical Data Service

The HealtheVet service responsible for providing read and write access to the Health Data Repository (HDR).

Clinical Decision Support

The informational or actionable tool that provides support during order processing. For example, a dosing calculator provides the logic to determine the appropriate dose for a medication. Also, a drug guideline is an informational resource for data relating to a medication.

Clinical Evaluator

A person who evaluates the clinical status of a Patient (e.g., Licensed Physician or Licensed Pharmacist).

Clinical Guidelines or Drug Treatment Guidelines

The systematically developed statements to assist Practitioner and Patient decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances.

CLO

Chief Logistics Officer

CM

Configuration Management

CMON

Clinical Monitoring

CMOP

Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy

CMOP Transmission

The act of transmitting a prescription to a CMOP for dispensing.

CMP

Configuration Management Plan

CMT

Container Managed Transaction

Co-Signer

A person who reviews and signs prescriptions or medical documents based on designated authority. A second signature is usually required when a document is initiated by a Provider that is undergoing training or in cases where the margin of error of the medication being prescribed is so small that a second signature is advised to ensure the safety of the Patient.

COAS

Content Access Service (formally Clinical Observation Access Service)

Commercial off-the-Shelf (COTS) Software

The commercially available applications sold by vendors through public catalogue listings. COTS software is not intended to be customized or enhanced.

Complete Order

An order that has been recorded, activated, filled, checked, and is ready for delivery to the Patient.

Complex Order

An order that consists of one or more linked medication orders, known as “child” orders.

Component

A physical, replaceable part of a system that packages implementation and conforms to and provides the realization of a set of interfaces. A component represents a physical piece of implementation of a system, including software code (source, binary, or executable) or equivalents such as scripts or command files.

Component (Architecture)

A software term for an independent unit of deployment composed of one or more modules within a package.

Component-based Development

The creation and deployment of software-intensive systems assembled from components as well as the development and harvesting of such components.

Compound Medication/Compound Order

A medication produced or manufactured by combining two or more ingredients.

Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS)

Stored information in VistA, or other automated systems using electronic storage. CPRS supports entry of notes and orders, rules-based order checking, and results reporting (Medical Records Management Handbook). CPRS provides an integrated Patient record system for clinicians, managers, quality assurance staff, researchers, and others. It may be referred to as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) in the private sector.

Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP)

The VA mail-order pharmacy system.

Constant Dosage

A constant administration dose of a drug for a specific duration of therapy. For example, the dosage of a drug might be “4mg” two times a day for 7 days.

Constant Schedule

The schedule of a drug remains constant for a specific duration of therapy. For example, a drug may have been scheduled for two times a day for 7 days.

Constraint

A global requirement that restricts how a product or application may be produced.

Consult Tracking

A VistA product that is used to request and track consultations or procedures from one clinician to another clinician or service.

Context

The subject matter, people, or organizations that might have an impact on the requirements of a product or application.

Context Diagram

A visual representation of the application and the external applications, systems, or organizations with which it must interact.

Contingency Plan

A management plan that identifies alternative strategies to be used to ensure product success if specified risk events occur.

Continuous

A medication order that is given continuously to a Patient for the life of the medication order, as defined by the Start/Stop Date/Time. This is also a schedule type.

Control Factors

These refer to the definition and use of different numbers for each inventory location to manage the quantity of inventory in that location. They include factors such as average rate of use by the functional area, delivery lead time, Par Level, the maximum quantity; Reorder Point, the quantity level at which a reorder signal is sent; and Safety Stock, a safety level quantity.

Controlled Substance Tote

A sealed package (e.g., brown bag, box, or envelope) containing one or more CS.

Controlled Substances (CS)

All drugs listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 21, Part 1300, to include the following:

COOP

Continuity of Operations

CORBA

Common Object Request Broker Architecture

Core-FLS

Core-Financial and Logistics System

COTR

Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative

COTS

Commercial Off-The-Shelf

Counseling (Patient Education)

A discussion aimed at educating a Patient about a drug therapy regimen. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA ’90) requires that all Patients be offered counseling for new medications. In particular, a Pharmacist must offer to discuss drug therapy regimens to each Patient when filling prescriptions for them. During counseling, the Pharmacist discusses any information about the drug therapy, which in the professional judgment of the Pharmacist is necessary for the proper use of the medication. The outcome of the counseling session is documented in the Patient’s electronic prescription order, indicating if a Patient accepted counseling and if the counseling was understood. Any extensive counseling and its documentation is recorded in a Text Integrated Utility (TIU) Progress Note.

CPMP

Clozapine Patient Management Protocol

CPOE

Computerized Physician Order Entry

CPRS

Computerized Patient Record System

CPRS-R

Computerized Patient Record System-Re-engineeringComputerized Patient Record System-Rehosting

CPU

Central Processing Unit

CR

Change Request

Credentialing

The recognition of professional or technical competence through registration, certification, licensure, etc.

Critical Path

The series of activities that determines the duration of the project. In a deterministic model, the critical path is usually defined as those activities with float-less-than or equal to a specific value, often zero. It is the longest path through the project.

Cross-Application Integration Protocol (CAIP)

A consistent set of interfaces for the common services in use within the Enterprise is required in order to promote interoperability within and across the VHA. The goal is to formalize these interfaces, providing style guidance to projects that will be building and using VHA’s service architecture. The principal objective is to provide clear guidance to project teams detailing the approach that is to be taken when building interfaces that require communication/collaboration with service components within the VHA.

CRUD

Create-Read-Update-Delete

CS

Controlled Substances

CS Counter

A person who performs a back-count on a Controlled Substances (CS) inventory location after removing stock.

CS Destroyer

A person who records the destruction of a CS at a central destruction site or the transfer of a CS to a third-party destruction agency.

CS Discoverer

A person who discovers a discrepancy between a system balance and a physical amount of CS, whether for an inventory location or for an invoice.

CS Disposer

A person who disposes of a CS at a location other than a central destruction site (e.g., a nurse who cleans up a broken vial).

CS Inspector

A person who audits CS inventory to ensure that the inventory balances are accurate and that all CS are accounted for.

CS Manager

A person who handles processes involving escalated problems with CS (e.g., the criminal reporting process for missing CS).

CS Packager

A person who packages CS for transport within the facility (e.g., vault technician, licensed pharmacist).

CS Receiver

A person who receives CS after they have been transported within the facility (e.g., vault technician, nurse, or licensed pharmacist).

CS Shipper

A person who ships packages containing CS.

CS Shipping Order Approver

A person who approves, edits, and cancels CS Shipping Orders.

CS Shipping Order Creator

A person who creates Shipping Orders for CS when the CS need to be shipped back to the vendor or to locations with other Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) numbers.

CS Signer

A person who signs for an action involving CS that requires a signature.

CS Waster

A person who records the wasting of CS.

CSC

Computer Software Component

CSCI

Computer Software Configuration Items

CSRI

Core Specification for Re-hosting Initiatives

CSV

Comma Separated Value

CTS

Centralized Terminology Service

Current Business Process Model (CBPM)

Captures and documents the business processes “as is.” Also known as the Current Business Model (CBM).

Current Stock

The amount of medications, supplies, etc., on-hand and available for dispensing.

Custodian

Anyone who has custody of CS in the system.

Customer

The requestor, end-user, individual, or organization that specifies (or may assist with specification) and typically accepts the project deliverables. There may be multiple customers on a given project.

CWAD

Crisis, Warnings, Allergies, Directives

D5 NS

Dextrose 5% in Normal Saline

DA

Drug Accountability

DA&D

Distributed Applications & Data

Daily Activity Log

Lists data within a selected date range for a dispensing site.

DaIS

Development and Infrastructure Services

DAO

Data Access Object

Data Access Object

An object that provides an abstract interface to some type of database or persistence mechanism, providing some specific operations without exposing details of the database. This isolation separates the concerns of what data accesses the application needs, in terms of domain-specific objects and data types (the public interface of the DAO), and how these needs can be satisfied with a specific DBMS, database schema, etc. (the implementation of the DAO).

Data Cube

A three- (or higher) dimensional model that allows the data to be viewed in multiple dimensions. Data cubes store data as measures and dimensions to provide an enterprise-wide view of the organization.

Data Field

A generic term used to refer to any fields on a PEPS item. A data field could be a VA Data Field, External Data Field, or any other field on a PEPS item.

Data Mart

A localized, single-purpose data warehouse implementation. Typically a small data warehouse or subset of a data warehouse designed and constructed to serve the needs of a single, homogenous user group, sometimes stored in a cube format for faster analysis. Whereas a data warehouse combines databases across an entire enterprise, data marts are usually smaller and focus on a particular subject or department.

Data Persistence Service

This service is used by Web clients as well as other services to store data in a persistent data store and is a very critical element of Federal Intelligent Product EnviRonment (FIPER). The data can be static or runtime. Web clients create jobs, tasks, and contexts and store them to the data store using this service. Similarly, while performing a complex analysis or operation, runtime data is stored to the data store using this service.

Data Steward

A person with specialized knowledge of the data used or created in the area of pharmacy and related informatics programs. Programs or technology, developed, modified, or implemented will be patient-centric, and support the business rules of the agency related to data standardization and information systems relationships. The Data Steward has an obligation to the day-to-day operation of their business area as well as the responsibility to ensure data accuracy, integrity, and security.

Data Steward Committee

A committee responsible for review and approval of all pharmaceutical content that is implemented in any VA informatics system that will manage, or process, medications and products used by VHA pharmacies.

Data Warehouse

A copy of transaction data specifically structured for querying and reporting.

Database (DB)

A collection of related data stored together with controlled redundancy according to a schema to serve one or more applications.

Database Management System (DBMS)

A software program that manages data by providing the services of centralized control, data independence, and complex physical structures for efficient access, integrity, recovery, concurrency control, privacy, and security.

Days of Stock-on-Hand

A calculation defined as 365 days divided by turnover rate.

Days Supply Limit

A VA Data Field used to specify the default days’ supply (e.g., 90 days) that a medication can be dispensed.

DB

Database

DBMS

Database Management System

DC

Discontinue

DDD

Detailed Design Document

DEA

Drug Enforcement Agency

Defect

The non-fulfillment of intended usage requirements or non-fulfillment of a requirement related to an intended or specified use (Office of Enterprise Development: OED). It is an anomaly, or flaw, in a delivered work product, such as omissions and imperfections found during early lifecycle phases and symptoms of faults contained in software testing, or operation. A defect can be any kind of issue that should be tracked and resolved.

Deliverable

A tangible product of work on the project that must be produced in order to successfully complete the project. A deliverable can be a project work product that is produced periodically throughout the life of a project.

Delivery Location

The location where the Patient picks up the Dispense Request product, the location of the mailroom from which the Dispense Request product is mailed, or the location of the ward room where the Dispense Request product is delivered.

Delivery Method

A description of how the Patient is to receive the contents of a Dispense Request (e.g., window, mail, and CMOP).

Delivery Service

Provides a methodology to accomplish asynchronous sending of information from one application space to another. This can be from one service to another service within a single local environment, from a local service to the national environment, or from a local service in one local environment to a Local service in a different local environment. These connections are bi-directional, meaning that messages can flow both ways and be initiated from either end.

Demand Forecasting

The weighting factors applied to past purchases to predict future needs.

Demographic Data

The information used to identify an individual such as name, address, gender, age, and other information linked to a specific person (Medical Records Management Handbook).

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

The United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities. Provides a list of medical individuals and organizations that are not approved for government procurements, among other services. No Federal Agency is permitted to obtain goods or services from the entities on this list. The list is not available in a Web service-oriented manner.

Dependency

A relationship between two elements in which a change in one element will affect the other element.

Deployment

A discipline in the software-engineering process in which the purpose is to ensure a successful transition of the developed system to its users. Included are artifacts such as training materials and installation procedures.

Destruction Holding Area

The physical inventory location where items awaiting destruction are stored; usually located in the vault.

Destruction Holding List

The virtual list of all items stored in the Destruction Holding Area.

DHCP

Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (often referred to in the document as VistA)

DHHS

Department of Health and Human Services

DICOM

Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine

DIF

Drug Information Framework

Digital Signature

Part of a Veterans Administration (VA)/Drug enforcement Agency (DEA) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Pilot project to introduce electronic signature for Outpatient medication orders of Schedule 2 and Schedule 2n controlled substances. DEA policy is that these CS cannot be signed for electronically and require a “wet” signature or hand-written prescription that goes to the pharmacy. This pilot project uses smart cards, card readers attached to workstations, digital certificates, and other technologies to electronically (digitally) sign Outpatient orders for Schedule 2 and Schedule 2n CS.

Dispense Class

A classification of drugs/items. The Dispense Classes are Controlled Substances, non-Controlled Substances, Investigational/Research, and Supply. For each drug there will be an associated Y/N parameter for Refrigeration.

Dispense Quantity Limit

A VA Data Field that specifies the limit as a Quantity-per-Time period. Quantity is the number of dispense units. Time period is specified by a number of days.

Dispense Request

A single dispensing action for an order (e.g., an order may contain an original Dispense Request and 11 refills. In this case, the order has a total of 12 Dispense Requests.) A dispense request can have the following statuses: “Pending,” “Filled,” “Checked,” “Delivered,” “Cancelled,” “Exception.” In addition, for Inpatient only, a dispense request can have a status of “In Transit.”

Dispense Unit

A unit of measure for dispensing (e.g., GM, EA).

Dispense Unit Domain

Provides the list of available dispense units for a Product Item.

Dispensed Inventory

The inventory that has been used to fill an activated Inpatient or Outpatient order. It is used as the point in the process where quantities used are debited from pharmacy supply locations. See related glossary term Replenishment.

DO

Data Object

Do Not Mail

A VA Data Field used to indicate that an item cannot be mailed by the local pharmacy.

DoD

Department of Defense

Domain

Refers to data elements used by PEPS items; for example: Manufacturer, Standard Med Route. Usually domain in this context refers to a domain entry, not necessarily the entire domain.

Dosage Form

The medium used to administer the active ingredient(s) in health products. Dosage forms include, but are not limited to capsules, tablets, injectables, oral solutions, drops, creams, ointments, and patches.

Dosage Form Domain

Contains the list of available dosage forms that can be used for an Orderable Item.

Dose

A specified quantity of a therapeutic agent, such as a drug, prescribed to be taken at one time or at stated intervals.

DPP

Detailed Project Plan

Draft Order

A dispense order entered into the system by a user, but not completed or not submitted to pharmacy for dispensing.

Drug Class

The grouping of drug products based on various criteria, which may include similarity of chemical structure, clinical indications, pharmacology, and therapeutic activity.

Drug Class Domain

Contains the list of VA Drug Classifications that can be used for Product Items.

Drug Data Vendor

The company that supplies medical information products (e.g., MicroMedex or First DataBank).

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Number

A numbering system that was implemented as a way to successfully track CS from the time they are manufactured until the time they are dispensed to the Patient or destroyed according to DEA regulations.

Drug Indication Dosing

Allows for different dosages for different disease states as well as for different Patient conditions. For example, the dose for Megestrol used for anorexia is 800mg daily, whereas the dose for Megestrol used for breast cancer is 40mg four times daily. Additionally, doses for Patients with impaired renal or hepatic clearances may have to be adjusted.

Drug Unit Domain

Provides the list of available units of measure that can be used for a medication.

Drug/Disease Interaction

An event that occurs when a drug’s action or effect are altered by a disease or clinical condition. May result in worsening of the disease by the drug.

Drug/Drug Interaction

The pharmacological or clinical response to the administration of a drug combination different from that anticipated from the known effects of the two agents when given alone.

DSD

Delivery Service Delegate

DSS

Decision Support System

DTAC

Development Technology Advisory Committee

Duration

The amount of time that the Patient should use the specified dose. This can be calculated from the time between the Start Date/Time and Stop Date/Time for an Inpatient medication order.

DUZ

A value that identifies a specific end-user signed into the VistA system. The DUZ is being replaced by the VPID but is still in use.

DVA

Department of Veterans Affairs

E/R

Entity/Relationship

E3R

Electronic, Error, and Enhancement Report

EBAC

Entity-Based Access Control

ebXML

Electronic Business eXtensible Markup Language

ECMB

Executive Change Management Board

ECME

Electronic Claims Management Engine

ECR

Engineering Change Request

ECSS

Electronic Claims Submission System

EDI

Electronic Data Interchange

EDS

Electronic Data Systems

EE

External Environment

eInvoice

An invoice received electronically into the pharmacy system from the prime vendor for medications.

EJB

Enterprise Java Bean

Electrolyte

An additive that disassociates into ions (charged particles) when placed in solution.

Electronic Error and Enhancement Request (E3R)

A software application located on Forum. It is used VHA-wide to submit suggestions for changes to Office of Information Field Office (OIFO) software products.

Electronic Pharmacy Claims/Billing

Electronic billing for outpatient prescriptions at point of care service.

Electronic Signature

A computer data compilation of any symbol or series of symbols executed, adopted, and/or authorized by an individual to be the legally binding equivalent of the individual’s handwritten signature. See glossary term Digital Signature for expansion of this concept within the VA.

Element

An object that encompasses a set of versions, organized into a version tree. They can be either files or directories.

Email Group

A group of individuals who receive email and alerts about a topic pertaining to the group.

Emergency Cache

A bulk supply of drugs stored in central pharmacy specifically for use in large scale emergencies or catastrophic events. The supply is not available for use in filling Patient orders unless released to the pharmacy prior to replacement or expiration.

Encapsulation

The hiding of a software object’s internal representation. The object provides an interface that queries and manipulates the data without exposing its underlying structure.

Encounter

A professional contact between a Patient and a Practitioner. A Patient may have multiple encounters for one appointment or during a single visit to a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) facility.

Enhancement Requests

A type of stakeholder request that specifies a new feature or functionality of the system.

Enterprise Architecture

The architecture that incorporates an entire business or major portion thereof.

Enterprise Product List (EPL)

A compendium of medications, supplies, and prosthetics available for ordering.

Enterprise Reference Terminology (ERT)

A standardized set of medical vocabulary used within VHA systems, provides for the sets that accommodate local variations in terminology, and supports automated translation among terminology sets.

Enterprise Terminology Service (ETS)

The inclusive name for both the ERT and VETS projects. ETS determines terminology for clinical content (i.e., Pharmacy, Labs, Orders, Vitals). ETS has been renamed to Standardized Terminology Service (STS) .

Entity Bean

A reusable software component used to implement business logic; multiple clients can access it simultaneously; it represents persistent items that could be stored in a database.

Entry By

The name of the user who entered the order into the computer.

ePharmacy

VA electronic pharmacy claims. Used to transmit claims between the VHA and insurance providers.

EPL

Enterprise Product List

EPL-L

EPL Local

EPL-M

EPL Master

EPL-N

EPL National

ER

Emergency Room

ER (Architecture)

Entity-Relationship

ERT

Enterprise Reference Terminology

ES

Enterprise Strategy

Essential Use Case

A Use Case containing a basic course of action. It is referred to as the “typical-path;” the main start-to-finish path that the actor and the system will follow under normal circumstances. Any activity that deviates from the “typical-path” is referred to as an alternate course of action. See the glossary term Use Case.

ETC

Enhanced Therapeutic Classification

Event

An occurrence that may be synchronous or asynchronous and to which an application must respond in some manner.

Expiration Date (Drug)

The date a drug is no longer allowed to be used to fill a Patient order based on a time period established by the manufacturer after which the drug effectiveness is likely to have deteriorated. Maintaining control of this constraint is a high priority Patient safety issue for VHA.

Extend Relationship

A relationship that continues the functionality of a “parent” Use Case but is subject to a specific condition. It is used to indicate a relationship between a “parent” Use Case and a Use Case containing an alternate course of action. It is conditional and may or may not be used by the “parent” Use Case.

eXtensible Markup Language (XML)

A simple, very flexible text format derived from Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

Extension Point(s) (XPn)

A named marker that references a location or set of locations within the behavioral sequence for a Use Case, at which point additional behavior can be added.

External Data Fields

Data fields on a PEPS item that contain information that will most likely come from an external data vendor such as a COTS product. Examples include “Generic Name”, “Strength”, etc.

Façade

A pattern for hiding underlying complexities.

Facility

A single entity or combination of VA Medical Center(s), Outpatient Clinic(s), and/or CBOC(s) where various levels of medical care are provided under the auspices of One VA management team.

Factory

A design pattern for separating the creation of objects from the type of objects being created. This allows the objects to be replaced with minimal design impact.

FaTKAAT

Fat-Client Kernel Authentication and Authorization Tool

FBPM

Future Business Process Model

FCDM

Financial and Clinical Data Mart

FDA

Food and Drug Administration

FDA Schedule

A classification of medications with regards to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 which dictates special procedures or handling for prescriptions and administration of medication.

FDB

First DataBank

FDR

Financial Data Repository

Federal Health Information Exchange (FHIE)

Formerly known as the Government Computer-Based Patient Record (GCPR). Addresses a Presidential Directive to create a comprehensive, life-long medical record for America’s military service members. Its current implementation allows the retrieval of veteran health information from the DoD data source.

Federal Stock Number (FSN)

(DOD) The Federal Stock Number of an item of supply consists of the applicable 4-digit class code number from the Federal Supply Classification plus a sequentially assigned 7-digit Federal Item Identification Number. The number shall be arranged as follows: 4210-196-5439. (Note: Federal Stock Numbers were replaced by National Stock Numbers effective 30 September, 1974.)

FHIE

Federal Health Information Exchange (formerly GCPR)

FileMan (FM)

A software application that creates and maintains a database management system that includes features such as a report writer, data dictionary manager, scroll and screen-oriented data entry, text editors, programming utilities, tools for sending data to other systems, and file archiving.

Fill

The process whereby a pharmacy will prepare a medication order for dispensing to the Patient.

Fill Station

The area in which orders are filled or dispensed manually (i.e., by a Pharmacist or a Pharmacy Technician) or automatically (i.e., by automation equipment).

Final Check

A final look at the dispensed prescription before delivery to the Patient to ensure that the prescription has been dispensed accurately as prescribed.

FIPER

Federal Intelligent Product EnviRonment

First Fill

See glossary term Original Fill.

Fiscal Year (FY)

The period from October First of one year to September Thirtieth of the next year.

FM

FileMan

FMS

Financial Management System

Form 222

A special order form used to distribute CS (Schedule I and II drugs). The keeping of records is required for distribution of a CS from one manufacturer to another, from manufacturer to distributor, and from distributor to dispenser.

Formulary

A collection of pharmaceutical substances along with their formulas, uses, and methods of preparation. Additionally, this can be a list of products that are approved for use with Patients (for the appropriate indications).

Formulary Decision Makers

A group of individuals who decide on adding, deleting, or changing a product to/from/on the National Enterprise Product List (EPL) or National Formulary. See glossary term Enterprise Product List (EPL).

Forum

A National On-line network. In addition to network mail, Forum hosts several National databases that include: Physician Data Query (PDQ) Cancer Information Database; Performance Excellence Database for sharing quality assurance success stories; VA/DoD Health Care Sharing Agreements; National On-Line Information System for tracking problems (NOIS) reported to OI Field Office specialists; Interlibrary Loan System; Facility ADP Plans; Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) Site Implementation System; and E3R System designed for entering requests for software enhancements.

Fractional Dose

A situation in which the dose administered to the Patient is less than the amount that was dispensed.

Framework

A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitute a way of describing a real situation.

FSS

Federal Supply Schedule

FTEE

Full-time Employee Equivalent

Function

An activity that spans the entire duration of a project (e.g., status reporting, quality assurance, verification, and validation).

Functional Testing

Testing that ignores the internal mechanism of a system or component and focuses solely on the outputs generated in response to selected inputs and execution conditions.

FY

Fiscal Year

GAL

Glossary and Acronym List

GCN

Generic Code Number

GCN Sequence Number

A number that represents a generic formulation, specific not generic ingredient(s), drug strength, dose form, and route of administration.

GCPR

Government Computer-based Patient Record (now FHIE)

GDD

GUI Design Document

Generic Drug

A nonproprietary drug approved by the FDA that is tested against a standard of bioavailability and bioequivalence.

Generic Name

A non-proprietary name assigned to an item (e.g., drug, supply).

Generic Substitution

Contains the same active, chemically identical ingredient(s) and is identical in strength, concentration, dosage form, and route of administration to the drug product prescribed.

GIP

Generic Inventory Package

Goal

A statement of the desired outcome of a product that shows it to be reasonable, measurable, and feasible.

GOTS

Government Off-the-Shelf

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A type of interface that enables users to communicate with a program by manipulating graphical features, rather than by entering commands. Typically, a GUI includes a combination of graphics, pointing devices, menu bars and other menus, overlapping windows, and icons.

Green Sheet (GS)

A special form used to account for the use of CS in the absence of automated equipment that can perform the accounting function. Currently, VA FORM 10 ‑2638 is being used.

Grey-box Testing

Test designed based on the knowledge of algorithm, internal states, architectures, or other high-level descriptions of the program behavior.

GS

Green Sheet

GUI

Graphical User Interface

GWD

GUI Workshop I Document

HA

High Availability

Happy Path

The main start-to-finish path that the actor and the system will follow under normal circumstances.

HDD

High Level Design Document

HDR

Health Data Repository

HDR-Hx

Health Data Repository – Historical

HDR-IMS

Health Data Repository – Interim Messaging Solution

HDR-L

Health Data Repository – Local

HDR-N

Health Data Repository – National

HDS

Health Data Systems

Health Data Repository (HDR)

A true longitudinal healthcare record including data from VA and non-VA sources. The health data system supports research and population analyses; facilitates Patient access to data; sharing of information across VHA; and improves data quality and data security.

Health Data Repository II (HDR II)

The clinical data repository for HealtheVet-VistA. HDR II will store all nationalized, viewable, patient-centric clinical data for the VHA in support of longitudinal, patient-centric care.

Health Data Repository-Historical (HDR-Hx)

The HDR Hx collects legacy VistA data from 128 VistA systems in at least four clinical domains. HDR Hx stores the data in a text “read only” format to accessible by the local VistA systems.

Health Data Repository-Interim Messaging Solution (HDR-IMS)

The pre-HDR II interim solution for nationalizing viewable, patient-centric clinical data. The HDR IMS will collect data from 128 VistA systems in at least four clinical domains from the point at which the data is standardized in the VistA system going forward. HDR IMS will ultimately be replaced by HDR II. Prior to the deployment of HDR II, HDR IMS will be a data provider to CDS.

Health Level Seven (HL7) Messaging

A standardized messaging protocol that is common to medical applications.

HealtheVet-VistA

The next generation of VistA provides enhanced flexibility for future healthcare and compliance with the One VA Enterprise Architecture. It enables seamless data sharing between all parts of VA to benefit veterans and their families.

HIA

Health Information Architecture

Hibernate

A powerful, ultra-high performance object/relational persistence and query service for Java. It allows for the development of persistent classes following common Java idiom–including association, inheritance, polymorphism, composition, and the Java collections framework. The Query Language, designed as a “minimal” object-oriented extension to SQL, provides a bridge between the object and relational worlds. Also allows for the expression of queries using native SQL or Java-based Criteria and Example queries.

High Risk

A VA Data Field used to indicate whether an item is considered “high-risk” to a patient and therefore requires follow-up or double-checks during administration.

HINQ

Hospital INQuiry

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996

HIS

Indian Health Service

Historical Medication Profile (Long)

A list of all active, recently discontinued, and expired prescriptions for a Patient.

HL7

Health Level Seven

Hold Order

An instruction not to dispense an “Active Order” until a specified date/time. The Hold is removed once the date/time is met. For doses, a user specifies how many doses to “Hold” and the system automatically calculates the date/time associated with the doses. A Patient’s “Active Orders” can also be automatically placed on “Hold” when there is a Patient movement event (i.e., admission, discharge, transfer, pass). In this case, the “Hold” is manually removed by an authorized user.

HP

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language

HVV

HealtheVet-VistA

Hyperal

A protein-carbohydrate solution. Electrolytes, fats, trace elements, and vitamins can be added. Since this solution generally provides all necessary nutrients, it is commonly referred to as Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). This solution provides all necessary nutrients parenterally.

Hyperalimentation

A process of long-term feeding of a hyperal.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

The basic language that is used to build hypertext documents on the World Wide Web. It is used in basic, plain ASCII-text documents, but when those documents are interpreted (or rendered) by a Web browser, the document can display formatted text, color, a variety of fonts, graphic images, special effects, hypertext jumps to other Internet locations, and information forms.

IAIDS

Initial Architecture and Interface Design Strategy

IAM

Identity and Access Management

IB

Integrated Billing

ICD

Interface Control Document

ICD (EPL)

International Classification of Diseases

ICN

Integration Control Number

ID

Identification

IDE

Integration Development Environment

IDL

Iterative Development Lifecycle

IDN

Integrated Digital Network

IDP

Iterative Development Process

IE

Internet Explorer

IEN

Internal Entry Number

IFCAP

Integrated Funds Distribution, Control Point Activity, Accounting, and Procurement

IIOP

Internet Inter-ORB Protocol

IM

Inpatient Medications

IMF

Item Master File

Implementation Manager

An individual who coordinates and ensures the efficient and effective national rollout of the new system.

In-Progress Review (IPR)

A formal reporting mechanism used in project management to communicate the status of all or part of a project. Project Managers (PMs) often use IPRs to report progress to upper management and stakeholders. In larger programs, PMs will sometimes mandate that team leaders produce IPRs in order to validate status reporting, risks, and other challenges.

Include Relationship

A procedure call from a “parent” Use Case. The include relationship calls on a Use Case, which contains a set of functionality that must be performed by the “parent” Use Case. The include relationship offers a convenient way of reusing a set of functionality that is common across multiple Use Cases.

Independent Verification and Validation

An objective evaluation performed by an organization other than the organization developing or enhancing a system or software. The evaluation focuses on ensuring that the developing or enhancing organization developed the right system and ensures the system is developed correctly per specified requirements.

Indication

The reason or purpose for which a product is being prescribed for a Patient. This may be the symptom or the disease for which the product is being prescribed.

Infusion Rate

The designated rate of flow of IV fluids administered to the Patient.

INR

International Normalized Ratio

Integrated Billing (IB)

A VistA application that contains all the features necessary to create bills for Patients and third-party carriers. The application captures and stores insurance data, including policy information and related benefits. A Claims Tracking feature is available to assist utilization review staff in tracking episodes of care, completing pre-certifications, completing continued stay reviews, and processing appeals and denials. Patient charges (pharmacy, Inpatient, and Outpatient co-payments, as well as per diems) are automatically processed.

Integrated Funds Distribution, Control Point Activity, Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP)

A VistA application that automates a spectrum of VA financial activities. VA employees use IFCAP to manage budgets, order goods and services, maintain records of available funds, determine the status of a request, compare Vendors, and items to determine the best purchase, record the receipt of items into the warehouse, and pay vendors. IFCAP automates the written regulations and policy for VA funding and procurement, which define the actions taken on requests for goods and services as formal transactions, orders, and payments are created for these requests.

Integration Testing

An incremental series of tests of combinations or sub-assemblies of selected components in an overall system. Integration testing is incremental in a successively larger and more complex combination of components tested in sequence, proceeding from the unit level (0% integration) to eventually the full system test (100% integration). Typically, Integration Testing focuses on the interaction of multiple internal modules and is performed by the development team.

Interface

A mechanism for interacting amongst software systems, equipment, products, components, functions, organizations, or users. An application component that allows two or more components to interact with each other while retaining independence within the sharing components.

Interface (Architecture)

An external dependency for a service or component in which data are shared through a well-defined protocol and format.

Internet

The vast collection of interconnected networks that all use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

Intervention

A type of communication initiated by a Pharmacist or Provider to either collect information from or disseminate information to an Orderer about a specific pharmacy order. The purpose is to clarify the intent of an order and to ensure the safety and efficacy of an order in accordance with the guiding principles of current clinical and pharmacotherapeutic knowledge.

Intranet

A private computer network that uses internet protocols and network connectivity to securely share any part of an organization's information or operational systems with its employees.

Inventory Forecast

An estimation of future demand of pharmacy products for use in procurement planning. The system will have a capability to calculate estimated future inventory requirements based on historical demand (see glossary term Usage). There will be some functionality to include adjustment factors such as consumption trends, seasonality, and management actions.

Inventory Group

The group of pharmacy users responsible for deriving requirements for the inventory functional area associated with the future PRE system.

Inventory Location

A physical storage location that is formally defined for each inventory item and tracked by the IT system. This is a key element in the inventory system as location must be known if quantities are to be managed and controlled. Inventory locations will be defined for all user locations as well as central supply areas. It may be in the form of a room, vault, shelf, shelf location, or automated dispensing or storage device. The level to which inventory locations are defined will be flexible and determined by the local facility. Each location has the primary replenishment location (or outside Vendor) from which to replenish the inventory.

Inventory Order

A transaction that involves the movement of a product from one location to another. Examples include Sales Orders (order from outside Vendor), Forecast Order (non-binding forecast of projected inventory usage to an outside Vendor), Transfer Order (transfer inventory from one location to another location, including inter-site locations), Waste Order (an order to dispose of inventory, usually for expired or recalled stock), Dispense Order (inventory to be given to a customer), and other orders including Borrow Orders, Lend Orders, Shipping Orders, and Replenishment Orders.

Inventory Supply Specialist

The default role for an inventory employee. It is used when only “Inventory” permissions are required for an action. For example, moving a product, pulling a product, counting, etc.

Inventory Turns

The number of times inventory turns over during a one-year period. The higher the inventory turns, the better the organization is using its inventory assets. A low number indicates excess or unused inventory. It is generally calculated by dividing the total annual inventory usage (annual cost of inventory investment) by the average inventory level (or current level). The national average for hospitals is 12-13, while consultants recommend 15-18.

Investigational Drug

A drug that is used in clinical research studies and is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

IP

Inpatient

IPR

In-Progress Review

IPT

Integrated Project Team

IRM

Information Resource Management

ISBN

International Standard Book Number

ISS

Infrastructure and Security Services

Issue

A subject related to the development of an application about which a firm decision must be made based on consensus of all interested parties. A known project problem that needs attention or corrective action. Any item in dispute, requires analysis, and may result in escalation; may also be a minor edit, improvement, or recommendation.

Issue Date

The date typically associated with the time a patient receives a specific dispensed medication or supply.

IT

Information Technology

Item

A generic type representing one conceptual entity consisting of a collection of data fields. For example, a medication may contain the following collection of data fields: Product Name, Generic Name, Trade Name, Dosage Form, NDC, etc. Conceptual entities include Medications, Supplies, and Investigationals.

Iteration

The smallest segment of activity in an Iterative Development Process (IDP). Iterations reside within a phase and have a distinct plan, objective, and evaluation criteria. A distinct sequence of activities with a base-lined plan and valuation criteria resulting in a release (internal or external). An iteration usually lasts two or three weeks and starts with a planning meeting.

Iterative Development Lifecycle (IDL)

A process that confronts issues early on, driven by architecture, technology, risk, and customer priorities. It assumes requirements are not fully known at project start and supports showing early prototypes to customers. It uses component-based development, forcing early elaboration of infrastructure; common mechanisms control structures and Configuration Management principles to manage sharing.

Iterative Development Process (IDP)

A partitioning of the development of the system modules into iterations. In successive iterations, grows the system by developing more and more modules, while making necessary changes along the way as more is learned about the system.

IV

Intravenous

IV&V

Independent Verification and Validation

IVR

Interactive Voice Response

J2CA

J2EE Connector Architecture

J2EE

Java 2 Enterprise Edition

J2SE

Java 2 Standard Edition

JAAS

Java Authentication and Authorization Service

JAR

Java Archive

Java

A programming language developed by Sun Microsystems that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the Internet and immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your computer or files. Java is a simple, robust, object-oriented, platform-independent multi-threaded, dynamic general-purpose programming environment. It is best for creating applets and applications for the Internet, Intranets, and any other complex, distributed networks.

Java API for XML-Based Remote Procedure Call (JAX-RPC)

It is used to build Web applications and Web services, incorporating XML-based RPC functionality according to the SOAP 1.1 specification.

Java Architecture for XML Binding (JAXB)

A method that provides a convenient way to bind an XML schema to a representation in Java code. This makes it easy to incorporate XML data and processing functions in applications based on Java technology without having to possess extensive XML knowledge.

JavaBeans

A platform-independent software component technology for building reusable Java components called “beans.” Once built, these beans can be made available for use by other software engineers or can be used in Java applications. Using JavaBeans, software engineers can manipulate and assemble beans in a graphical drag-and-drop development environment.

Javascript

A scripting language for Web pages, JavaScript can be written and embedded into HTML documents. JavaScript was designed to resemble Java, which in turn looks a lot like C and C++. The difference is that Java was built as a general purpose object language, while JavaScript is intended to provide a quicker and simpler language for enhancing Web pages and servers.

JAX-RPC

Java API for XML-Based RPC

JAXB

Java Architecture for XML Binding

JAXP

Java API for XML Processing

JCA

J2EE Connector Architecture

JCAHO

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

JDBC

Java Database Connectivity

JDOM

Java Document Object Module (Java-based document object module for XML)

JIT

Just-In-Time

JMS

Java Messaging Service

JNDI

Java Naming and Directory Interface

JProbe Profiler

The leading Java profiling tool that helps developers to quickly diagnose performance bottlenecks in Java code. With highly accurate diagnostics, including line-by-line results, developers can dramatically improve application performance.

JTA

Java Transaction API

JUnit

A unit testing tool for the Java programming language. This tool provides methods of testing the correctness of a particular module of source code independently.

Just-In-Time (JIT)

A term that describes an inventory management objective of the right inventory in the right quantity arriving just at the time of need. JIT is actually a process for optimizing the pharmacy processes for inventory use by eliminating all process waste including wasted steps, wasted movement, wasted material, excess inventory, etc. In theory, some stock rooms in pharmacy could be eliminated or reduced in size if a vendor could deliver directly to the area of use JIT. A real world example is the bread shelves in your grocery store. These are stocked by the bread vendor JIT, and using visual orders. The grocery store does not have a bread stock room in the back.

JVM

Java Virtual Machine

KAAJEE

Kernel Authentication and Authorization for J2EE

Kernel

A vendor-independent application development environment, as well as a run-time environment, providing standard vendor independent services to applications software. It is not an operating system, but a set of utilities and associated files that are executed in an M environment. It is central to VA Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) software strategy, in that it permits any DHCP software application to run without modification on any hardware/software platform that supports American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard M. All operating system-specific, M implementation-specific, or hardware-specific code is isolated to this environment.

Kernel Authentication and Authorization for J2EE (KAAJEE)

A part of the VA Single Sign-On/User Context (SSO/UC) project, which addresses the authentication and authorization needs of J2EE-based Web applications, currently hosted on Oracle 9iAS. The limited aim of the first phase is to provide “single credential” authentication and “single repository” authorization for J2EE Web applications, using the user’s existing, familiar Kernel access and verify code for authentication, and using the Kernel system as the authorization repository as well.

KIDS

Kernel Installation and Distribution System

Kiosk

A terminal that allows users (e.g., Patients) to order refills and obtain information about their medical histories (i.e., medication, medication profiles). May also be a machine with dispensing capabilities that interfaces with the VistA Pharmacy system.

Lab Display

A VA Data Field used to specify what Labs need to be displayed for a drug within VistA.

Large Volume Parenteral (LVP)

A solution intended for continuous parenteral infusion, administered as a vehicle for additive(s) or for the pharmacological effect of the solution itself. It is comprised of any number of additives, including zero, in one solution. It runs continuously, with another bag administered when one bottle or bag is empty. This is an admixture.

Layer

A logical grouping of the components within the system that are separated by common functionality.

LE

Local Environment

Legacy System

An existing system that is deployed in an organization with plans to be replaced by a newer system and newer technology.

Lend Order (Inventory)

This functionality allows the local pharmacy to supply (lend) inventory to a borrowing institution. This order does not involve billing but will support “horse trading” for specific items with the borrowing institution. See glossary term Borrow Orders (Inventory).

Licensed Pharmacist

An individual who has graduated from an accredited school of pharmacy, passed a state board examination, and served an internship under a licensed pharmacist in a community or hospital pharmacy.

Licensed Practitioner

An individual who is licensed or otherwise authorized to provide healthcare services.

Loading Dose

A dose of drug sufficient to produce a plasma concentration of drug that would fall within the therapeutic window after only one or very few doses over a very short interval. It is larger than the dose rate needed to maintain the concentration within the window and would produce toxic concentrations if given in repeated doses.

Local Order Processing Decision Rule (LOPDR)

The rules specific to the local order processing that assist with the selection of products based on Patient data.

Local Reporting Fields

The fields configured and appended to an item in the Local EPL for use only by the Local EPL Management System. Local Reporting Fields are designed to capture data specific to local activities, but they will not be usable for program functionality. The fields will only be useful for reporting and searching.

Location Group

A group of hospital locations that can include: wards, rooms, and clinics. A location group is created and stored so that it can be used when running a Unit Dose Pick List or a Sterile Product Work List to define the area of the hospital that is serviced.

Log4J

An open source logging tool that allows developers to write log statements in their software and configure them externally, using properties files.

LOPDR

Local Order Processing Decision Rule

Lot Number

The tracking number assigned by the manufacturer to manufacturing batches in order to track a product recall in the event of a problem with the drug in terms of Patient safety. Maintaining control of this constraint is a high-priority Patient safety issue for the VHA.

LRU

Least Recently Used

LVN

Licensed Vocational Nurse

LVP

Large Volume Parenteral

M

MUMPS – Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System

M&IS

Messaging and Interface Services

Mail Order Pharmacy

The remotely located pharmacies that are high-volume processors for medications that are to be mailed to Patients.

Maintenance Dose

The dose needed to maintain the concentration within the therapeutic window when given repeatedly at a constant interval.

Manufacturer

Specifies the vendor or company that produces the product.

Manufacturer Domain

Holds the list of manufacturers specific to NDC Items.

MAP

Medical Advisory Panel

MAR

Medical Administration Record

MARS

MUMPS Automated Reporting System

MAS

Medical Administration Service (now Health Administration Service)

Master Vault

A location designated to store controlled substances and which is set up as the main dispensing site for controlled substances.

MD

Doctor of Medicine

MDB

Message Driven Bean

MDR

Meta Data Registry

Medical Advisory Panel (MAP)

A committee that is part of the management and medical decision-making structure of the VA Pharmacy Business Management. The committee consists of eleven Physicians in practice at VA medical centers and one DoD Physician.

Medication Checker

An authorized person who performs the validation check on filled medication prior to dispensing (e.g., Licensed Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician).

Medication Deliverer

An authorized person or device that delivers medication(s) to a Patient or Caregiver at point-of-care (e.g., a pneumatic tool, mail carrier, Pharmacy Technician, Nurse).

Medication Filler

An authorized person that dispenses medications, mixes IVs, etc. Note that the filler may be a Pharmacist, Pharmacy Technician, or an automated filling device.

Medication Instruction Domain

Holds the abbreviations that are often used when entering the prescription sig. Each entry in this domain holds an expansion of the abbreviation which is used to complete the sig as it is printed on the prescription label.

Medication Receiver

A person who receives medication(s) from a Patient upon admission (e.g., Nurse).

Medication Returner

A person who returns a Patient’s medications to the Patient when the Patient is discharged from the hospital.

Medication Route

The method in which the product is to be administered (e.g., oral, injection).

Medication Use Evaluation (MUE)

An order entry process that is similar to a templated order entry that incorporates a series of screens whereby the Orderer proceeds to answer some system-generated questions. The uniqueness of this process is that the system provides a series of pop-up boxes relating to the importance of the questions and why it is important for the Providers to answer the questions. Of even greater importance, the system will actually provide references and a synopsis of referred article(s). In this manner, the Provider is treated as an interested professional with a high level of interest for providing the best care for his or her Patient.

Message

A collection of data in a standardized format that can be sent to or received at a given destination.

Message Beans

A reusable software component that is designed to handle incoming messages based on Java Message Service technology.

Milestone

A significant event that occurs at a single specific point in time, usually denoting initiation or completion. Milestones are also used to communicate decisions made or received.

Missed Dose

A dose scheduled to be administered to a patient, but not administered to the patient at the scheduled time.

Missed Medication

A scheduled medication that is not administered to the Patient, usually because the Patient is unavailable or the Patient refuses the medication.

Missing Dose

A scheduled medication (e.g., unit dose) that is unavailable at the time of the scheduled administration.

Mitigation

A method or procedures which may: (1) avoid an impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action; (2) minimize impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action and its implementation.

Model-View-Controller

A software architecture that separates an application’s data model (the model), user interface (the view), and control logic (the controller) into three distinct components so that modifications to one component can be made with minimal impact to the others.

Modification Request

A request generated from PEPS when a PEPS Local Manager makes a request to change a non-editable data field on a PEPS item. The PEPS National Manager reviews the Modification Request and either approves or rejects the request.

Module

A software term for a specialized unit within a component that carries out a specific function that may depend upon other modules within the same component.

MOM

Message Oriented Middleware

MOP

Mail Order Pharmacy

MPD

Minimal Patient Dataset

MPI

Master Patient Index (or Master Person Index)

MS

Microsoft

MSH

Message Header

MTF

Medical Treatment Facilities

MUE

Medication Use Evaluation

Multicast

A message that is sent out by a host to several devices on the network. They are generally sent at specified intervals to avoid cluttering the network and, in the case of Local Area Transports (LAT), contain the name of the host sending them as well as information about which LAT services that host provides.

Multidimensional Data Model

A visual representation that uses data from multiple dimensions (examples are Products, and Time) to display information.

MUMPS

Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System

MUMPS Language (M Code)

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) computer language used by VA FileMan and throughout VistA.

Mutator

A Java method that changes the state of an object. Mutators typically do not return a result, but mutators can both change the state of an object and return a result. Mutators are often called “setters,” and their names often start with “set.”

MVC

Model-View-Controller

MyHealtheVet

A Web-based application where veterans, family, and clinicians may come together to optimize veterans’ healthcare. Web technology combines essential health record information enhanced by online health resources to enable and encourage Patient/Clinician collaboration. Clinicians can communicate and collaborate with veterans much more easily. The online environment will map closely to existing clinical business practices, while extending the way in which care is delivered and managed.

National Drug Code (NDC)

A universal product identifier for human drugs. It is assigned a unique 10-digit or 11-digit, 3-segment number: the first segment is a labeler code that identifies the manufacturer; the second segment is a product code that identifies the medication; the third segment is a code that identifies the packaging. The code can be any one of the following configurations: 4-4-2, 5-3-2, or 5-4-1.

National Drug File (NDF)

A VistA package that provides standardization of the local drug files in all VA medical facilities. Standardization includes the adoption of new drug nomenclature and drug classification, as well as linking the local drug file entries to data in the National Drug Files.

National Drug Text Domain

Provides information on drug restrictions, guidelines, and protocols to help assure medications are being used according to formulary specifications.

National Management Team

The group responsible for decisions made at a national level regarding settings in PEPS. This would currently be characterized as the PBM team, but it may include other representatives in the future.

National Patient Care Database (NPCDB)

A database maintained in the Austin Automation Center (Austin, Texas). The database receives selected demographic data, encounter-based clinical data, and diagnostic data from VAMCs and enables a detailed analysis of the VHA Outpatient Health Care activity.

NCA

National Cemetery Administration

NCPDP

National Council for Prescription Drug Programs

NCPS

National Center for Patient Safety

NDC

National Drug Code

NDDF

National Drug Data File

NDF

National Drug File

NDF-RT

NDF Reference Terminology

NDS

Naming/Directory Service

NE

National Environment

Needs Summary List

Specifies the amount and types of a medication needed to complete the items in a Unit Dose Pick List, or specifies the amount and types of additives and solutions needed to complete the items in a Sterile Product Work List.

NEMA

National Electrical Manufacturers Association

New Item

A unique item generated at a local facility or from COTS to be entered into PEPS.

New Molecular Entity (NME)

An FDA designation for a drug that is under investigation for use or is new to the market. It is not the molecular equivalent for any drug that is currently under investigation or on the market. A new dosage form or strength of an existing product is not an NME.

NF

Non-formulary

NME

New Molecular Entity

Non-Formulary Drug

The medications that are defined as commercially available drug products not included in the VA National Formulary.

Non-VA Medication

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has indicated that all medications, including herbal supplements, over-the-counter (OTC) non-prescription medications, and medications prescribed by providers outside the VA (collectively known as “Non-VA medications”), should be entered in the medical record. The user will be able to enter this information into the medical record so that Providers have a better picture of the medications the Patient is taking and that order checks against these medications can occur. Entering Non-VA medications is not the same as placing orders. Users simply enter information to provide a more complete view of what the Patient is taking.

NPCDB

National Patient Care Database Project

NSC

Non-Service Connected

O/R

Object/Relational

OCIS

Office of Cyber and Information Security

OE

Order Entry

OED

Office of Enterprise Development

OERR

Order Entry/Results Reporting

OI

Office of Information

OIT

Office of Information and Technology

OITP

Office of Information Testing Process

OLAP

Online Analytical Processing

OLTP

Online Transaction Processing

OMG

Object Management Group

On-Call

A specific medication order or action that is dependent upon another medication order or action taking place before it is carried out. For example, “Cefazolin 1 gm IVPB On‑Call to Operating Room.” Since it may be unknown when the Patient will be taken to the operating room, the administration of the On-Call Cefazolin is dependent on that event. This is also a schedule type. See glossary term Schedule Type.

One-Time

A medication order given only one time to a Patient. This medication order type is usually given to the patient within a fixed length of time (e.g., 24 hours). One-time is also considered as a schedule type. See glossary term Schedule Type.

One-VA Architecture

The architecture standard designed to accommodate all applications within the VA. The architecture should foster the sharing of information about veterans within and between VA facilities located across the U.S.

OO

Object-Oriented

OOAD

Object-Oriented Analysis and Design

OP

Outpatient

OPAI

Outpatient Automated Interface

OpenEHR

Open Electronic Health Record Foundation

Operational Data Store

The database-of-record, which contain data that continually changes as updates are made and that reflect the current value of the last transactions. It is a source of data for the data warehouse.

OPP

Operating Policies and Procedures

OR

Operating Room

OR (Architecture)

Logical OR

Oracle Relational Database

The relational database management system that has been identified by the VHA to be used for data storage needs at the national level.

Orange Book Code

The abbreviated name for Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations Codes. This coding system for therapeutic equivalence evaluations is constructed to allow users to determine quickly whether the FDA has evaluated a particular approved product as therapeutically equivalent to other pharmaceutically equivalent products (first letter) and to provide additional information on the basis of FDA’s evaluations (second letter).

Order

A request for a product that will be used in the support of a single Patient care. Usually initiated by a Physician or an authorized person.

Order Check

A review of the Patient’s current and proposed drug therapy for the purpose of promoting therapeutic appropriateness. This includes evaluation of the medication order and information from the Patient record for known allergies, contraindications, reasonable dose and route of administration, reasonable directions for use, duplication of therapy, drug-drug, drug-food, and drug-disease interactions, and adverse drug reactions.

Order Check Request

A request from VistA to PEPS to retrieve data from the COTS data source. This data will then be forwarded from PEPS back to VistA for use.

Order Set

A logical group of items ordered together for one Patient that can be acted on as one (i.e., signed, discontinued). It serves as a mechanism to allow order entry operations on related orders to occur as a single operation. An “order set” can be created manually and can be saved, stored, and retrieved as needed for common therapy treatments. It also includes functionality currently associated with complex orders, templates, and quick orders.

Order Unit Domain

Holds the list of packaging units that are valid when describing a drug entry.

Orderable Item (OI)

A product the provider can select to order through CPRS. For pharmacy Orderable Items the provider will see “drug name and dose form” as the Orderable Item.

Orderer

An authorized person who initiates the prescription order (e.g., Physician, Physician’s Assistant, Pharmacist, Nurse, or Nurse Practitioner).

Original Fill

The first dispensing of an Outpatient order. Also known as a First Fill.

OSS

Open Source Software

OTC

Over-the-Counter

OTP

Overall Test Plan

Outpatient Automation

A VHA project in which all of the requests for automatic medication dispensing will be sent to this system. The system will then send the request to the most appropriate auto-filling machine containing the desired medication.

Outpatient Fill Priority

The indicator that determines the order in which Dispense Requests are filled for Outpatient orders. By default, Dispense Requests for Discharge orders are the highest priority. The second highest priority is Dispense Requests with a delivery method of Window. The third highest priority is Dispense Requests with a delivery method of Mail.

Outpatient Visit

The physical presence of a person who has obtained Outpatient services during a single 24-hour period.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs

Drugs that are available from retail stores without a prescription.

Overall Architecture

A high-level depiction of the design of a software application that is part of a larger system.

P&T

Pharmacy and Therapeutics

Package

A set of routines, files, options, templates, security keys, screens, bulletins, functions, help frames, forms, blocks, objects, protocols, dialogues, list templates, windows, and namespaces according to DBA requirements that function as a unit.

Package Type Domain

Provides the list of available package types for an NDC Item.

PACS

Picture Archiving Communication Systems

PAE

Pharmacy Application Environment

Par Level

The calculated desired quantity of product to have on hand based on historical use or an administrative decision.

Parenteral

Medications introduced by means other than by way of the digestive tract.

Partial Fill

A prescription that has been filled for a quantity smaller than requested. A possible reason for a partial fill is that a Patient is to return to the clinic in ten days but the prescription calls for a thirty-day supply.

Patient

An authorized person who is allowed to receive care or is identified as needing care. Receives medications as an Inpatient in a ward or as an Outpatient in a specialty clinic. Also, receives medications as an Outpatient at the pharmacy (window pick-up or mail). Note that a Patient may also include active military personnel and family members of veterans.A person who requires medical treatment, typically the veteran or one of their relatives.

Patient Care Management Module (PCMM)

The VistA module developed to assist VHA facilities in implementing primary care and managing the assignment of resources that was designed to assess capacity in Outpatient clinics. Users can set up and define a treatment team, assign positions to the team, assign Patients to the team, and assign Patients to a primary care provider.

Patient Care Team

A group of diverse clinicians who communicate with each other regularly about the care of a defined group of Patients and participate in that care.

Patient Educator

An authorized person who provides counseling and information to the Patient regarding medication being administered.

Patient Medication Profile (PMP)

Used by pharmacy to view the appropriate pharmacy-related information about a VA Patient. It displays demographics and certain clinical information about a Patient. It also displays a list of pending and active orders (to include recently expired and recently discontinued orders). It can be used for informational purposes as a view-only version. However, authorized personnel can also use it to process and take actions on a Patient’s prescription orders.

Patient Specific Label

A VA Data Field used to specify whether a medication requires a patient specific label.

PATS

Patient Advocate Tracking System

PBM

Pharmacy Benefits Management

PCA

Patient Controlled Administration

PCE

Patient Care Encounter

PCM

Project Configuration Manager

PCMM

Primary Care Management Module

PCP

Primary Care Provider

PDA

Personal Digital Assistant

PDM

Pharmacy Data Management

PDR

Pharmacy Data RepositoryPhysician’s Desk Reference

PDS

Pharmacy Data Store

PDSP

Project Defined Software Process

PDTS

Pharmacy Data Transaction System

PDX

Patient Data Exchange

Pending Order

The status of an order entered by a Provider through CPRS and that has been electronically signed without Pharmacy or Nursing finishing the order. Once Pharmacy or Nursing finishes and verifies the order, the order status changes to an Active order.

PEPS

Pharmacy Enterprise Product System

PEPS Local Administrator (PLA)

A PLM who has the additional permission to create, update, or delete search templates or partial saved items at a local instance.

PEPS Local Manager (PLM)

An authorized user who updates editable fields and rules at a Local facility. Receives/sends update requests from/to the PEPS National Manager.

PEPS Manager (PM)

A parent role for PEPS National Manager and PEPS Local Manager. This role is able to make changes to PEPS and is used when the distinction between PEPS Local and PEPS National is not needed.

PEPS National Administrator (PNA)

A PNM who has the additional permissions to create, update, or delete national-level templates.

PEPS National Manager (PNM)

The authorized user who receives and reviews update requests from drug Vendors and PEPS Local Managers. Sends requests to appropriate decision makers. Creates updates for the National PEPS. Sends update to the PEPS Local Manager and to interested parties.

PEPS Second Reviewer (PSR)

A person who performs Quality Assurance checks for PEPS items being processed nationally. A PSR may also perform the Second Reviewer role of a PNM when so designated by the PNM.

PEPS Viewer

An authorized user who uses PEPS in a read-only fashion, such as searching and viewing item data. This user is unable to make changes to PEPS data. Formerly referred to as PEPS User.

PEPS-L

PEPS Local

PEPS-L Mgmt App

PEPS Local Management Application

PEPS-M

PEPS Master

PEPS-M Mgmt App

PEPS Master Management Application

PEPS-N

PEPS National

Persisted Data

Any data that a system records in a state (or form) that is retrievable by the system or some other system later after some span of time.

Person Services

A person-oriented business component and interface used for person lookup within a system. This is required to produce person -oriented business components and user interfaces for person lookup. This is required to support the implementation of service oriented n-tier application architecture, centralized/distributed deployment architecture, and application modernization as specified by VHA Enterprise Architecture and the HealtheVet Logical Model.

PFSS

Patient Financial Services System

Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee

An advisory committee of the medical staff that represents the official, organizational line of communication and liaison between the medical staff and the pharmacy department; its recommendations are subject to medical staff approval.

Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM)

The office responsible for oversight of the VHA pharmacy process as well as National reporting.

Pharmacy Data Management (PDM)

A VistA package that provides tools for managing site configurable data in pharmacy files.

Pharmacy Data Repository (PDR)

A data source of Pharmacy medication order data that is not a part of the HDR. The examples of the types of data that may reside in PDR are “who reviewed a medication order,” “who filled a medication order,” drug lot number and expiration date, “what equipment was used to fill the medication order,” and other information that needs to be persistently stored.

Pharmacy Enterprise Product System (PEPS)

A component of the overall PRE system whose purpose is to manage medications and supplies in support of pharmacy operations. It uses the Enterprise Product List (EPL) to store information about medications and supplies. See glossary term Enterprise Product List.

Pharmacy System Domain

Contains data that pertains to the entire Pharmacy system of a medical center, and not to any one site or division.

Pharmacy Technician

An authorized person who provides support within the pharmacy organization. This person may have a license or specific authorization to perform specific tasks within the pharmacy. Typical tasks include dispensing an order, labeling items, etc.

Pick List

Items that need to be gathered, or picked, while filling a Patient’s order. See glossary term Pull List.

Piggyback

The small volume parenteral solution for intermittent infusion. A piggyback is comprised of any number of additives, including zero, and one solution: the mixture is made in a small bag. The piggyback is given on a schedule (e.g., Q6H). Once the medication flows in, the piggyback is removed; another is not hung until the administration schedule calls for it.

PIMS

Patient Information Management System

PKI

Public Key Infrastructure

PLM

PEPS Local Manager

PM

PEPS Manager

PMD

Program Mistake Detector (Java source code analyzer)

PMI

Patient Medication Information

PMIS

Patient Medication Information Sheet

PMO

Program Management Office (as used by PRE)

PMP

Patient Medication Profile

PMP (management)

Project Management Plan

PNM

PEPS National Manager

PO

Purchase Order

POC

Point of Contact

POI

Poor Obfuscation Implementation (Java API to access Microsoft format files)

Point-of-Use (POU) Equipment

The automatic dispensing system of secured supplies.

POJO

Plain Old Java Object

Polypharmacy

The practice of administering many different medicines concurrently for the treatment of the same disease.

Postconditions

An assertion that must hold following the successful execution of the associated function (e.g., use case path, class method, and/or test case).

POU

Point-of-Use

PPP

Pharmacy Prescription Practices

PRE

Pharmacy Re-engineering

PRE CCB

PRE Configuration Control Board

Pre-exchange Order

Any Inpatient order that must be delivered to the ward before the scheduled delivery of products (e.g., NOW orders, STAT orders, missing dose request). An Inpatient order that is not included in a Unit Dose Pick List or Sterile Product Work List.

Preconditions

A condition that must always be true before the start of a use case or test case.

Preferred Products

The products stocked in the pharmacy that have a high turnover rate or comprise a large percentage of the dispensed items.

Preparation List (Prep List)

Contains detailed information about active and future Unit Dose medication orders that are “due” for administering to Patients in a particular location (e.g., ward) during a specified timeframe. The Prep List can be printed to facilitate routine medication rounds by displaying medications to be administered during the specified timeframe for the Caregiver’s assigned Patients, which facilitates in the gathering of medications.

Prescription

An Outpatient medication order written on a standard blank issued by a regulatory body. An Outpatient order can be in a written format also on VAF 10-1158 Doctor’s Order sheet. Currently, DEA requires controlled substances to be submitted to Pharmacy in a written format with a “wet signature.”

Presentation Layer

A logical grouping of user interaction and display components.

Primary Care Provider (PCP)

A Patient’s main healthcare provider in non-emergency situations either chosen by or assigned to a Patient.

Primavera IT Project OfficeTM

A software application used to uniquely identify work units and status of the work.

PRN

Pro re nata (As needed)

Pro re nata

A Latin term, basically meaning “take as needed.” It is normally abbreviated as “PRN.”

Process

A process is a collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of input and creates an output that is of value to the customer. It is cross-functional and results oriented, defying rather than respecting organizational boundaries. It is focused on goals and ends rather than actions and means. Thinking about the process is a prerequisite to re-engineering; only processes can be re-engineered.

Process (Architecture)

An operating system term for a unit of work that contains one or more threads.

Procurer

Any authorized person who plans and orders supplies (e.g., Procurement Specialist).

Product Item

A specific type of medication, supply, or prosthetic.

Product Name

A unique name assigned to each drug product in the National Drug files.

Product Number

The number used by the product manufacturer to identify a product.

Product Type

An indicator that defines whether an item is categorized as a medication, supply, or prosthetic.

Progress Note

The communication among disciplines concerning the Patient’s care. Members of the Patient care team must document observations, progress, response to and changes in treatment, subsequent assessments of the Patient’s response to care, other intervention, planned follow-up care, instructions, and diagnosis and pertinent findings from ancillary tests. Progress notes must give a pertinent chronological report of the Patient’s course. Progress notes may include, but are not limited to: a change in diagnosis(es), a change in condition, and/or a Patient’s leave of absence. They may also include any justification for Patient limitations. Clinical care must be documented in a progress note by the respective clinical staff as defined by their scope of practice. Documentation in the progress notes is required when there is a history of allergies, adverse reactions, or other conditions. The appropriate progress title must be used to trigger Patient postings.

Project Management Office (PMO)

An entity formed to coordinate across the enterprise all efforts toward making a project successful. The mission of the PMO is to monitor project activities and work elements, to coordinate efforts among all stakeholders, and ultimately, to ensure the success of a project.

Project Management Plan (PMP)

A strategic document for describing and executing a project. It defines the technical and managerial approach, project functions, and deliverables necessary to satisfy the requirements of a project, such as agreement on scope and priorities.

Project Plan

See glossary term Project Management Plan (PMP).

Project Sponsor

The person who promotes and/or authorizes the initiation of a project, provides ongoing support, and has a vested interest in the success of the project.

Protect From Light

A VA Data Field used to specify whether an item must be protected from light.

Prototype

A mock-up, model, or actual working version of a technological device or process used to generate engineering information that will help design or perfect the final product/process. Engineering prototypes, test-of-principle models, bench models, breadboard models, and pre-production prototypes are used in the new product stages of development.

Provider

An authorized person who delivers some form of healthcare to a Patient. Additionally, these individuals may be considered as an Orderer with the authority to sign orders if given the authorization within the system. Some providers may not be given the authority to sign orders (e.g., nursing staff).

PS

Person Service

PSL

Person Service Lookup

PSR

PEPS Second Reviewer

PUI

Project Unique Identifier

Pull

A style of data management in which an application actively gathers data from an external application or system.

Pull List (Inventory)

An inventory requirements list of items to be “pulled” from supply inventory locations for the purpose of replenishment to the user areas. It is generated from a combination of consumption rates, replacement lead times, and inventory control factors. See glossary term Pick List.

Push

A style of data management in which an application actively sends data to an external application or system.

Q6H

Every six hours

QA

Quality Assurance

QD

Every Day

QID

Four Times a Day

QO

Query Object

Quality Assurance (QA)

A set of activities that defines and implements quality into the software development process. Conducting work product reviews, testing, analyzing metrics, and surveying users are typical quality assurance activities.

Quick Order

A pre-written order of any number of items (a single medication or an order set). Quick Orders are used to expedite order entry for commonly used orders.

R.Ph

Registered Pharmacist

RAR

Resource Adapter Archive

Rational ClearCase

A tool developed by IBM to control and manage versions of elements such as source files for software and documentation, directories, reports, etc.

Rational ClearQuest

A tool developed by IBM to submit and track change requests, gather project matrices, and generate defect summary reports.

Rational RequisitePro

A tool developed by IBM to organize, prioritize, track, and control changing requirements of a system or application.

Rational Software Architect

A tool developed by IBM to model the system components and their interactions.

RBAC

Role-Based Access Control

RDBMS

Relational Database Management System

RDV

Remote Data View

Re-engineering

The fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to bring about dramatic improvements in performance (Re-engineering The Corporation, Michael Hammer, James Champy, 1993). It is concerned with the redesign of work so that it can be performed in a more superior way. The application of re-engineering principles has since been extended to processes outside and between organizations to address total enterprise relationships (X-engineering The Corporation, James Champy, 2002).

Read-Back

This is a JCAHO requirement for verbal orders (i.e., orders communicated by face-to-face contact). A verbal order must be read back to the ordering medical staff member by the Pharmacist to verify the verbal order was correctly heard and understood. A licensed Practitioner will be required to sign the verbal order within 24 hours from the time the verbal order was given.

Recall Class

Three different levels of pharmacy action depending on the severity of the problem causing the recall. A Class 1 recall is the most severe, requiring notification of Patients who have received the medication.

Receiver

An authorized person who receives supplies from Vendor(s) and places them into the pharmacy’s inventory system (e.g., Procurement Specialist).

REE

Registration/Enrollment/Eligibility

Refill

To fill a prescription a second or subsequent time.

Refrigeration

A VA Data Field used to specify whether an item requires refrigeration.

Renew

Continuation of an existing order by an authorized user (e.g., provider). For Outpatient orders, the renew action creates a new order with a new prescription number and a new expiration date. For Inpatient orders, renew action does not create a new order. In Inpatient renew, a new Default Stop Date/Time is calculated for the existing order.

Renewal

A new order that was generated by the renew process. See glossary term Renew.

Reorder Amount

The quantity of an item to be ordered from the replenishment source when a Reorder signal is sent. It is triggered by the status of the inventory control factors, usually when the quantity remaining reaches the reorder point.

Reorder Point

The quantity level at which the reorder signal is sent.

Reorder Signal

A notification within the system that there is an inventory quantity that has fallen below the Reorder Point. This is used by the system to generate an internal replenishment order and in formulating Vendor supply orders.

Replenisher

Any authorized person who identifies the need for, and replenishes, internal inventory stock (e.g., Pharmacy Technician).

Replenishment

The inventory items used to restock user area locations (e.g., ward stock, automated dispensing devices) without being tied to a Patient order. These tend to be commonly used items stored for easy access at quantity levels required for Patient safety and work process flow. Quantities are debited from pharmacy supply locations but are still carried in inventory as unallocated. The item location changes from pharmacy supply to user area. Usage from the user area debits inventory from that area. See related glossary term Dispensed Inventory.

Request

A user action that a PEPS Item (OI, Product Item, or NDC Item) addition or modification be considered by the PNM for updates within the PEPS enterprise database.

Requirement

A criterion that a system or software must meet. It can include things the system must do, characteristics it must have, and levels of performance it must attain. Systems engineers develop them before a system is created. As it is developed, the system is evaluated according to how well it meets its criterion. Requirements may be business, functional, and/or system needs. They are documented in detail in the System Requirements Specification document.

Requirements Management Plan (RMP)

A document that describes the requirements artifacts, requirement types, and their respective requirement attributes. This artifact contains information to be collected and control mechanisms to be used for measuring, reporting, and managing changes to the product requirements.

Residual Effect of a Drug

The remains of a medication or its active metabolites in the Patient’s system after the medication is taken or administered. The length of activity will depend on various factors (e.g., the drug, the Patient’s ability to eliminate the medication).

Restricted Medication

The medications that are only allowed to be prescribed based on a set of criteria, such as only being allowed if the Patient is diagnosed with a particular problem, or has lab values of a certain type and level. Medications become restricted due to a number of reasons, the primary ones being abuse potential, cost, or risk to the Patient.

Restricted Refill

A refill that is tied to certain policies established by the pharmacy and will require certain actions by the Orderer (e.g., review updated lab values) prior to sending the restricted refill to be dispensed.

Return on Investment (ROI)

The rate of return which is used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment; typically expressed as a percentage.

RFID

Radio Frequency Identification

RIM

Reference Information Model

Risks

The events or circumstances that may happen that could jeopardize the outcome of the project, such as cost overruns, schedule delays or project cancellation. Risks can also be events that may happen that could allow the project to complete ahead of schedule or run more efficiently.

RMI

Remote Method Invocation

RMP

Requirements Management Plan

ROI

Return on Investment

Route of Administration

Specifies the method by which the drug is to be administered.

RPC

Remote Procedure Call

RSA

Replacement Scheduling Application

Rx

Prescription

Rx Consult Domain

Holds the expansion of the number codes that represent the additional warnings/consultations that may be needed for a particular drug.

RxNorm

A clinical drug nomenclature produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the VA, and the HL7 standards development organization. It provides standard names for clinical drugs (active ingredient + strength + dose form) and for dose forms as administered. It provides links from clinical drugs to their active ingredients, drug components (active ingredient + strength), and some related brand names. To the extent available from the Food and Drug Administration, NDCs (National Drug Codes) for specific drug products that deliver the clinical drug are stored as attributes of the clinical drug in RxNorm.

SACC

Standards and Convention Committee

Safety Stock

The quantity of an inventory item that is kept in an inventory location for Patient safety purposes in order to allow for deviations in demand or supply that might stem from variability in internal processes, unforeseen Patient demand, supplier availability, or transportation.

SAML

Security Assertion Markup Language

SC

Steering Committee

SCCB

SwRI Configuration Control Board

Schedule

The frequency by which the doses are to be administered (i.e., Q8H, BID, NOW). Often referred to as Administration Schedule.

Schedule Type

The indicator that identifies the type of schedule (i.e., Continuous, PRN, On-Call, and One-Time) for the medication being administered to a Patient.

Scheduled Order

An Inpatient order that is scheduled to be delivered to a ward at a specific time. Scheduled orders appear in a Unit Dose Pick List or Sterile Product Work List for filling.

SCM

Software Configuration Management

Scored

Indicates that the medication has been marked by the manufacturer so that the medication can be divided (e.g., split) in two.

SDD

Software Design Document

SDF

Software Development Folder

SDK

Software Development Kit

SDLC

Software Development Life Cycle

SDS

Standard Data Service

Secondary Inventories

The stock that is maintained in user areas.

Section 508

The section of the Rehabilitation Act that requires any electronic information developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. As a result of new requirements added to the Rehabilitation Act in 1998, guidelines for electronic information including Web sites have been developed and were adopted on December 21, 2000. All electronic information created or acquired by any federal agency or department, on or after June 21, 2001, must comply with these accessibility standards.

SEO

Software Engineering Organization

Sequence Diagram

A visual representation that shows interaction between objects with an emphasis on the order in which the objects pass information or actions between themselves. The objects could be (i.e., people, computer systems, locations, etc.).

Service

A logical grouping of capabilities that support a common business process. Thus a “drug information service” might provide capabilities that allow for the searching of different types of drug information and different types of searches for the same information (i.e., searching for a drug by Generic Name, NDC, Therapeutic category). This is loosely analogous to the class-method relationship, in which a class is composed of multiple methods that support the usage of the class.

Service (Architecture)

A logical grouping of related software capabilities that share common business goals in a functional process and communicate through a well-defined interface mechanism.

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

A system architecture that encourages the development, collection and use of software services. These services communicate with each other. The communication can involve either simple data passing or it could involve two or more services coordinating to complete an activity. Services require a standardized communication protocol.

Session Bean

A reusable software component that is used to implement business logic; it can be of stateless or stateful variety; its existence is short-lived; and its purpose is to execute on behalf of a single client.

Session Façade

Decouples the user of the service from the multiple entity beans that may reside behind a service method by providing a common session bean for that particular service. For example, most service method calls will require two distinct events to complete: one to authenticate that the user is authorized to use the service, and the second is to invoke the capability of the service method. It hides these event invocations from the client, providing them with one session bean that handles all subsequent method invocations required to complete the service method request.

SGML

Standard Generalized Markup Language

SHG

Strategic Health Group

Shortage

A deficit between inventory available and inventory required.

SIG

The Latin word, Signatura, abbreviated as “SIG.” (also called SIG, or transcription), which gives instructions to the Patient on how, how much, when, and how long the drug is to be taken. These written instructions are preceded by the symbol “S” or “SIG.” from the Latin, meaning “mark.” The signature should always be written in English; however, Physicians continue to insert Latin abbreviations, e.g., “1 cap t.i.d. pc,” which the Pharmacist translates into English when he or she prints the label, such as “take one capsule three times daily after meals.” The purpose of the prescription, special instructions, and warnings, followed by the signature of the prescriber, may also be included.

Sign Order

The action taken by a user to provide a signature on an order that is legally binding. In the system, the signature is an electronic signature. See glossary term Electronic Signature.

SIL

Security Integration Laboratory

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

A lightweight protocol for exchange of information in a decentralized, distributed environment. It is an XML-based protocol that consists of three parts: an envelope that defines a framework for describing what is in a message and how to process it, a set of encoding rules for expressing instances of application-defined data types, and a convention for representing remote procedure calls and responses.

Single Sign-On

A set of software components, usually distributed over a network, which allow a user to log into his workstation once, and thereafter start applications without having further authentication required.

Smart Card

In the VA/DEA PKI Pilot, the clinician uses a smart card to digitally sign Outpatient medication orders for Schedule 2 and Schedule 2n CS after using the current electronic signature process within CPRS. The technologies used in PKI add security for these substances. Smart cards have the clinician’s photo and an integrated circuit (a computer chip) that stores other information such as demographics, access and verity codes, a personal identification number (PIN), and a digital certificate.

SME

Stakeholder/Subject Matter Expert

SOA

Service Oriented Architecture

SOAP

Simple Object Access Protocol

Software Configuration Management (SCM)

A process or methodology comprised of tools and techniques that are used to manage change to software assets.

Software Development Kit (SDK)

A set of tools, APIs, and/or documentation to assist with the development of software in a specific computer language or for a particular operating environment.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

A structured methodology used in the development of software products and packages. This methodology is used from the conception phase through to the delivery and end of life of a final software product.

Software Development Plan (SDP)

A comprehensive, composite artifact that gathers all information required to manage the project. It encompasses a number of artifacts developed during the Initiation phase and is maintained throughout the project.

Software Package

A software term for a high-level, common grouping of one or more components within a system.

Software Quality Assurance (SQA)

The set of activities that defines and implements software quality into the process and encompasses systematic activities that provide evidence that the product meets the customer’s expectations, in terms of use and the associated quality factors. This includes monitoring the methods and standards used, and then verifying that they have been properly applied. Also tracks that the required procedures have taken place during the SDLC. It does this by auditing the quality actions of the products in development and alerting management to any deviations.

Software Quality Assurance Team

Oversees all aspects of quality assurance in each OED project.

Software Requirements Specifications (SRS)

A document that outlines and records the requirements for a project. The document formally states the requirements for the project.

Solution

A vehicle for additive(s) or for the pharmacological effect of the solution itself. Infusion is generally continuous. A LVP or piggyback has only one solution (primary solution). A hyperal can have one or more solutions.

SOP

Standard Operating Procedure

SOW

Statement of Work

Special Handling

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) special handling codes used to designate drug products as over-the-counter, narcotics, bulk compounds, supply items. Requirements exist for each code that determines how a drug product is to be handled and/or stored.

Specialty

The particular subject area or branch of medical science to which one devotes professional attention.

SPF

Single Point of Failure

Splittable

A VA Data Field used to specify whether an item can be split for dispense or be prescribed as a splittable dose.

SPM

Software Project Manager

SPML

Service Provisioning Markup Language

SQA

Software Quality Assurance

SQAP

Software Quality Assurance Plan

SQL

Structured Query Language

SRS

Software Requirements Specification

SS

System Specification

SSO

Single Sign-On

Staging Area

A specific inventory location where items slated for disposal are placed prior to shipping or destruction. This is for control and tracking of items removed from active inventories for reasons such as product quality, spoilage, expirations, or recalls.

Stakeholders

The people or groups who have a stake in the outcome of the project. Normally stakeholders are from within the company (e.g., internal clients, management, employees, administrators). A project may also have external stakeholders, including suppliers, investors, community groups, and government organizations.

Standard Data Service (SDS)

Consists of architecture service components to support the migration of applications from M-based VistA to new HealtheVet-VistA architecture. The major purpose of SDS is to provide a centralized repository of standard (non-clinical) administrative data together with a data maintenance mechanism and a distribution capability for transporting the data to HealtheVet-VistA applications.

Standardized Domain

Domains are standard or standardized. Standardized domains will have a VUID from VETS, using the specified field(s) for that item or domain to determine the uniqueness of the VUID.

STAT

Statim (Latin: Immediately [medical])

Steering Committee (SC)

The key body within the governing structure that is responsible for the business issues associated with the project that are essential to ensuring the delivery of the project outputs and the attainment of project outcomes. This includes approving the budgetary strategy, defining and realizing benefits, monitoring risks, quality and timelines, making policy and resourcing decisions, and assessing requests for changes to the scope of the project.

Sterile Product

An item that is completely clean and free from bacteria (e.g., IVs and gauzes).

Sterile Product Work List

A list of sterile product Dispense Requests that are scheduled to be administered to the Patients in a ward group within a specified window of time. The Sterile Product Work List replaces the ward list and manufacturing list from VistA.

Stock Level

The current inventory quantity of an item. It may be a calculated or physical count quantity depending on the use in the system. It may also be displayed and used at multiple organizational levels such as a quantity in a specific inventory location, the quantity in a ward, the quantity in central pharmacy supply, or a total rolled up quantity for the entire facility.

Storage Location

Where the contents of a Dispense Request are stored. Once a Dispense Request product is filled and checked, it is stored in a designated Storage Location to be later retrieved by the Medication Deliverer at the window or in the mail room. The Storage Location could be a particular refrigeration unit if the medication needs to be kept cool, a locked cage in the case of CS, or a tote for those medications that need to be packaged and mailed.

Structural Testing

Testing that takes into account the internal mechanism of a system or component.

STS

Standards and Terminology Services

Stub

A piece of code used during development to simulate the activity of a missing service, component, or interface that is not yet developed.

Subject Matter Expert

A person thought of as dictionaries or references that provide the final authority on what something means or how it is to be performed, while developers and trainers are the readers who turn that authority into information that can be understood and used by others. They are experts on the content of information.

Subsystem

A subsystem is a logical grouping of related software packages and services that combine to form an independent system within an enterprise.

Supply Area

The pharmacy inventory locations from which Patient orders are filled or user area requirements are replenished. It also is the area where incoming inventory is stocked following the receiving process from outside sources (e.g., vendors, loans, gifts).

Support Staff

A person who identifies Patients (or panel of Patients) who need to be seen or have requested to be seen.

SwRIâ

Southwest Research Instituteâ

Syringe

A device used to inject fluids into or withdraw them from something (e.g., the body or its cavities, IV set).

System Administrator

An authorized person who manages the components of the Pharmacy System to which access is restricted for most Pharmacy users. For example, a System Administrator might create user profiles, define local user roles, configure local parameters, or run reports.

Tall Man

A technique of lettering that helps medical professionals detect drugs that could be confused because of similarly spelled names. It uses alternating upper- and lower-case spelling of drug names to visually distinguish look-alike, sound-alike medication names. The confusion of drug names accounts for approximately 15% of all reported medication errors (e.g., hydrALAZINE/hydrOXYzine, and glipiZIDE/glyBURIDE).

Tapered Order

An order for which a drug dose is increased or decreased over a period of time until the desired end dose is achieved. For example, a drug might have been ordered in the following sequence: 0.5mg for 5 days, then 1mg for 5 days, then 2mg for 5 days, then 4mg after that for the remainder of therapy.

Task

A functional term for a piece of work performed to achieve an end-user goal.

TBD

To Be Determined

TCO

Total Cost of Ownership

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

TeamPlayTM

The software application used to uniquely identify work units and status of the work.

Technical Services Project Repository (TSPR)

The official Web site to store and display information about projects within Office of Enterprise Development.

Telemedicine

The use of telecommunications technology as a medium to provide medical services to sites that are at a distance from the Provider. Telemedicine telecommunications link Providers and Patients together from diverse geographic locations, and they transmit text and images for medical consultation and treatment.

Template

An object with a pre-set format. The pre-set format can be used as a starting point for a particular application (e.g., a template for entering chemo orders, a template for requesting to add drugs to EPL). The pre-set format can be used to enforce a specific process for completing an action (for quality purposes and/or for policy purposes.)

Terminology Mediation

A method of mapping local terms to an enterprise-wide terminology reference. This is provided by ERT for the PRE system.

Test Case

A defined set of conditions used by a tester to exercise a system under development to determine if a requirement or use case is satisfied.

Test Environment

Equipment (e.g., servers, hardware) dedicated to test a system under development.

Test Input

Information (e.g., data) that must be in place to execute a test case.

Test Plan

A document that describes the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of intended test activities.

TFI

Tricare Fiscal Intermediary

Therapeutic Alternates

The drug products differing in composition or in their basic drug entity, but of the same pharmacological and/or therapeutic class, which are considered to have very similar pharmacological and therapeutic activities and adverse reactions when administered to Patients in therapeutically equivalent doses.

Therapeutic Class

The general classification of medication in which a product is categorized. Compounds are classified into classes, chemical or functional (Therapeutic), according to their structure and function. A particular compound may belong to one or more classes and are categorized both structurally and functionally. To date, some compounds have not been classified.

Therapeutic Equivalence

The drug products that, when administered to the same person in the same dosage regimen, provide essentially the same therapeutic effect or toxicity. Bioequivalent products are expected to be therapeutically equivalent.

Therapeutic Interchange

The authorized exchange of various therapeutic alternates by Pharmacists under arrangement between Pharmacists and Orderers who have previously established written guidelines or protocols within a formulary system and jointly agreed on conditions for interchange or who give permission individually at the time of exchange.

Thick Client

A software product that does as much processing as possible at the client side and passes only the data required for communication and archival storage to the server entities.

Thin Client

A software product that does most of its processing on a central server with as little hardware and software as possible at the user’s site. Ideally the user will have only a screen, keyboard, a pointing device (if needed), and enough computing power to handle display and communications.

Third Party Pharmacy

Those pharmacies that are not directly affiliated with the VA. They are the Walgreens, CVS, and other commercial and governmental pharmacies not directly under the control of the VA.

Thread

An operating system term for an instance of concurrent execution within a process.

TID

Three Times a Day

Tier

A hardware term for a physical grouping of the components within the system that are separated by physical locality.

TIU

Text Integration Utility

TOAD

Tool for Oracle Application Development

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

A process that helps a company determine whether it wins or loses from specific technology implementations. It is used to look at the overall impact of the implementation. Cost is the numerator. The denominator might be service, customer satisfaction, quality levels, or productivity. Although cost-of-ownership factors vary according to technology and environment, costs are typically broken out into categories such as capital costs, technical support, administration, and end-user operations.

Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)

The intravenous administration of the total nutrient requirements of the Patient. The term TPN is also used to mean the solution compounded to provide those requirements. See glossary term Hyperalimentation.

Total Stock

The total amount of on-hand inventory (e.g., medications, supplies).

TPB

Transitional Pharmacy Benefit

TPN

Total Parenteral Nutrition

TQS

Terminology Query Service

TR-LV&HVV

Testing Requirements for Legacy-VistA and HealtheVet-VistA

Trade Name

A name (i.e., brand name) assigned to a generic product to distinguish it as one produced and sold by a specific manufacturer.

Transfer Order (Inventory)

An internal order to allow the transfer of inventory items within the local organization from one inventory location to another. It allows the pharmacy to manage inventory such as moving items from one ward to another.

Transport CS

The process of moving of a CS inside the facility.

Transport Invoice

A list of CS items that are being moved from one location to another within the same facility. It can be a single sealed package containing one or more CS items or multiple sealed packages. The Transport Invoice exists in the system as a list of CS items that has a custodian, origin, and destination.

Treatment

The provision, coordination, or management of healthcare or related services by one or more healthcare Providers. This includes the coordination of healthcare by a healthcare Provider with a third party, consultation between Providers relating to a Patient, and the referral of a Patient for healthcare from one healthcare Provider to another.

TRM/SP

Technical Reference Model and Standards Profile

TSEC

Trade Study Evaluation Criteria

TSPR

Technical Services Project Repository

TSS

Trade Study Scenarios

TUID

Temporary Unique Identifier

UAT

User Acceptance Test

UCI

User Class Identifier

UD

Unit Dose

UI

User Interface

UML

Unified Modeling Language

UN/EDIFACT

United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport

Unallocated Inventory

Physical inventory that has not been reserved for filling of dispense requests.

Unified Change Management (UCM)

A layer built on Rational ClearCase to provide additional configuration management features for software development.

Unified Modeling Language (UML)

A standardized language used for object-oriented modeling.

Unit Dose Indicator

An indicator to differentiate products produced in blister packs verses product produced in bulk bottles.

Unit Dose Pick List

A list of unit dose Dispense Requests that are scheduled to be administered to the Patients in a ward group within a specified window of time. The Unit Dose Pick List replaced the Pick List from VistA.

Units per Dose

The number of Units (i.e., tablets, capsules) to be dispensed at one time for a dose. Fractional numbers will be accepted.

Universal Product Code (UPC)

A 12-digit code assigned to an item to identify the product and the vendor that sells the product.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator

Usage

The removal of an inventory item from the inventory location is assumed to be used or consumed by the user in the managed area in which the inventory location is defined. It does not track actual consumption by the Patient through administration or dispense. See glossary terms Replenishment and Dispensed Inventory.

Use Case

A narrative describing a sequence of actions and responses between an actor and a system. The narrative is technology-free and implementation independent. It is the description of a well-defined task or goal – from the point-of-view of the actor that achieves the Use Case’s goal. A Use Case describes what the system needs to do without specifying how the system will do it. A Use Case that “calls” on other Use Cases – for additional functionality – via an extend or include relationship is referred to as a “parent” Use Case.

Use Case Diagram

A diagrammatic representation of the boundaries of a product or Application showing the actors outside the boundary and the Use Case or work units inside the boundary.

Use Case Specifications

A document that defines a sequence of actions performed by a system that yields an observable result of value to an actor.

Use Rule

A criterion-based rule for a product, group of products, or class of products that aids decision support.

User

The requestor, individual, or organization that specifies, or may assist with specification, and typically accepts the project deliverables. There may be multiple users on a given project.

User (Inventory)

A term used in the inventory system to refer to the area personnel that handle or administer the drugs. They are the pharmacy customer to whom inventory items are supplied.

User Acceptance Test (UAT)

The process that confirms the system functionality meets all user requirements as stated in the requirements document(s). The UAT is usually conducted by the stakeholders.

User Area (Inventory)

A term used in the inventory system to refer to the pharmacy customer areas such as wards or clinics. These are areas out of which drugs are administered as opposed to the pharmacy that dispenses them.

User Area Manager

An authorized person who monitors, oversees, and manages supplies for a specific area (e.g., person who would interact with the Replenisher in maintaining appropriate levels of inventory).

USPS

United States Postal Service

VA

Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Data Fields

A set of rules governing the use of a product in the VHA system. Examples include: “Witness required for Administration,” “Useable for Outpatient Only,” “Must be Refrigerated,” etc. These fields are defined in the requirements process and cannot be modified or added after the system has been deployed. The VA Data Fields are fields that must be set by a VA entity (i.e., cannot be obtained from a COTS product or other data source). When values are defined for the fields at National, they may be marked as “non-editable” preventing Local VHA facilities from changing the setting. Any field left editable can be changed by a local facility.

VA Generic Name

The name assigned to an item (e.g., medication, supply) in Pharmacy VistA files.

VA Product Name

The name assigned to a medication item in Pharmacy VistA files. The name includes the Strength, Unit, and Dosage Form of the medication.

VA-wide Person Identifier (VPID)

A unique identification number assigned to all persons associated with the VA, including veterans, Patients, and employees. According to http://vista.domain.ext/iss/acronyms/index (To access the link, VA VPN access is needed).

VACO

VA Central Office

VAEA

VA Enterprise Architecture

Value Object

A software element that exposes property mutators and accessors. A Data Transfer Object from Sun’s Design Pattern Catalog is a synonymous term.

VAMC

Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Variable Dosage

A medication treatment whereby the administration doses vary for the duration of treatment. For example, a drug may be taken/administered in the following order: 4mg a.m., 2mg noon, 4mg HS (at bedtime) for 7 days.

Variable Schedule

The schedule of a drug whereby it may vary during the therapy. For example, a drug may be given twice a day on Monday and Tuesday and three times a day on the remaining days of week for 7 days.

VAX MUMPS Standard

An advanced operating system, originally designed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), that operates on the VAX and Alpha architectures. The correct way to refer to the operating system is OpenVMS for VAX or OpenVMS for Alpha. VMS is one of the most secure operating systems on the market.

VBA

Veterans Benefits Administration

VDD

Version Description Document

VDEF

VistA Data Extraction Framework

VDL

Virtual Due List

VDSI

VistA Data Systems and Integration

VeHU

VHA eHealth University

Vendor

The organization that provides supplies to the pharmacy. Note that this may include prime, non-prime, and loaning organizations (any outside supplier; e.g., external supplier).

Vendor Purchase Order

An order that details the items the pharmacy wishes to procure from a prime or non-prime supplier (Vendor). It is often called a procurement order, supply order, or sales order.

Verify

To assure that an order placed for a Patient is accurate as recorded and ready for dispensing.

Version

A variant of some artifact; later versions of an artifact typically expand on earlier versions. Major revisions will mean the version number is incremented by one or more. Minor revisions will be signified by the addition of a decimal number in tenths or hundredths.

Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA)

The automated information systems used in VAMCs. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has had automated information systems in its medical facilities since 1985, beginning with the Decentralized Hospital Computer Program information system, including administrative and extensive clinical administration capabilities.

Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)

A set of healthcare facilities within a geographical area. Each VHA healthcare facility is located in one of many VISNs (Veterans Integrated Service Networks) spanning the U.S. and its territories.

VETS

VHA Enterprise Terminology Service

VHA

Veterans Health Administration

VHA Health Information Model (VHIM)

A model that provides standard definitions, semantics, and constraints so that data can be represented consistently across all components of the HealtheVet Architecture.

VHA OI

VHA Office of Information

VHA Unique Identifier (VUID)

These are non-business, unique numbers that are automatically assigned to concepts, properties, and relationships in a terminology to facilitate their access and manipulation by computers.

VHIM

VHA Health Information Model

VIE

VistA Interface Engine

Virtual Due List (VDL)

A list of medications that need to be administered to a Patient within a specified time parameter. These include active Continuous, PRN, On-Call, and One-Time medication orders.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A scheme where a portion of a network is connected via Internet, but information sent across the Internet is encrypted. The result is a “virtual network,” which is also part of a larger network entity. This enables users to privately share private information over a public infrastructure.

Vision Document

The stakeholder’s view of the product to be developed specified in terms of the stakeholders key needs and features. It provides the contractual basis for the more detailed technical requirements.

Visit

A Patient event that begins when the Patient arrives at a clinic for medical evaluation or treatment and concludes when the Patient departs.

VISN

Veterans Integrated Service Network

VistA

Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture

VistA Data Systems and Integration Service (VDSI)

The service group that manages VistA system changes to ensure compliance with standards and regulating bodies; ensures resource impacts are assessed to allow sufficient time for equipment or software procurements as needed; manages and maintains the VistA data architecture working in close association with OED Program Directors and manages technical/application integration oversight, support, and tools to ensure products inter-operate effectively and make maximal use of existing software tools. VDSI performs five required reviews of VistA products to support these goals, which are typically performed at specific points in the software development lifecycle.

VistA Interface Engine (VIE)

A Delivery Service routing component that receives messages from the Delivery Service inbound queue and provides message handling based on Delivery Service functionality.

VistA Update Message

A message from PEPS to VistA that contains an update (e.g., update may include a New Item in PEPS, a change to an existing item in PEPS).

VistALink

A standardized, portable, and secure mechanism for establishing connections between Java (J2SE and J2EE) and VistA/M servers. It is a transport layer that provides HealtheVet-VistA application developers APIs for establishing synchronous, real-time communication between Java applications and VistA/M systems.

Visual Flow Management

This term is referring to visual systems or the establishment of a visual workplace in which the ultimate outcome is visual information sharing. The bingo board is just a simple example. It provides immediate visual information to the observer. There are numerous visual tools that could be put in place in the pharmacy that would supplement the use of the new PRE system as well as improve Pharmacy work processes. For example, the bin described in “visual order” could include a visual display of the expiration date of items in the bin.

Visual Order

In the context of inventory management, refers to the use of a physical visual signal or indication that an item needs to be replenished. This might be an empty bin in which its physical condition (empty) generates an automatic refilling action. That single visual signal could trigger real time replenishment from a supply cart. No computer transaction is required at that time. Appropriate use of this process tool would multiply a pharmacy’s capability when combined with the PRE system. The size of the bin determines the Par Level, the fact that is empty defines the Usage, and the Reorder Point, the filling action defines Replenishment. A single computer transaction recording the filling event would generate the tracking and ordering requirements that normally require multiple and time wasting separate transactions including scanning use, generating a pick list, withdrawing from supply, scanning replenishment, and generating a procurement order. See glossary term Visual Flow Management.

Vitria

A Business Process Integration platform orchestrating interactions between existing and future applications, data, people, and partners to provide real-time visibility and control over strategic business processes.

VMS

VAX Mumps Standard

VO

Value Object

VOB

Versioned Object Bases

VPFS

Veterans Personal Finance System

VPID

VA-wide Person Identifier

VPN

Virtual Private Network

VUID

VHA Unique Identifier

WAN

Wide Area Network

Waste Log

A record of all instances when a CS was wasted (i.e., never made it to a patient for any reason: dropped, broken, etc.) including: Date/Time, Location, User ID, VUID, Amount Wasted, Reason for Waste, Investigated (Yes/No).

WBS

Work Breakdown Structure

WDDE

Ward Drug Dispensing Equipment

Web Service

A collection of functions that are packaged as a single entity and published to the network for use by other programs. They are building blocks for creating open distributed systems, and allow companies and individuals to quickly and cheaply make their digital assets available worldwide.

Web Services Interoperability (WS-I)

A consortium of a large number of companies, representing a wide range of industries including automotive, consumer packaged goods, finance, government, insurance, media, telecommunications, travel, and the computer industry. WS-I is focused on promoting the interoperability of Web services applications across different computing environments and programming languages. It does so by providing advice, best practices, and other resources intended to assist developers of Web services applications.

White-box Testing

A testing technique that derives test cases from the structure of a system or software program.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A physical or logical network that provides capabilities for a number of independent devices to communicate with each other over a common transmission-interconnected topology in geographic areas larger than those served by local area networks.

Witness

An authorized person who co-signs an action taken by another Caregiver to attest to the correctness of the action as documented (e.g., witness of CS waste, witness of chemotherapy drug administration).

Witness for Administration

A VA Data Field used to specify whether an item needs to have a witness in order to be administered to a patient.

WLES

WebLogic Enterprise Security

Work Product

An item produced by an individual or Project Team. The OED Quality Policy specifies mandatory work products for review: Project Management Plan (PMP), Software Requirements Specification (SRS), Software Design Document (SDD), Function Point Workbook, Use Cases and Use Case scenarios, Supplemental Specifications (if Use Cases were created), Test Plan, Test Scripts, Code, Documentation (Release Notes, User Manual, Technical Manual, Installation Guide, Security Guide), Patch Components (if released through the National Patch Module). When object-oriented methodology is used for development during highly critical projects, class diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, and data flow diagrams must undergo the Work Product Review Process.

Work Product Review (WPR)

The formal examination or analysis of a work product by project or possibly non-project personnel.

Workload Instance Credit

Credit given to a user by the system for the number of occurrences related to a specific activity. For example, a user might select Profile Review as the activity, and the user may indicate a number of occurrences for that activity. The system will then credit the user with the number of occurrences indicated for the activity.

WPR

Work Product Review

WS

Ward Stock

WS-I

Web Services Interoperability

X12N

ANSI X12 Subcommittee N

XA

eXtensible Architecture

XACML

eXtensible Access Control Markup Language

XDE

Extended Development Experience (IBM, Corp. Rational)

Xdoclet

An open source code generation engine that enables Attribute-Oriented Programming for Java. It allows for integration of meta data (attributes) into software code to increase its significance. Special JavaDoc tags are used to implement this functionality. Xdoclet parses source files and generates many artifacts such as XML descriptors and/or source code. These files are generated from templates that use the information provided in the source code and its JavaDoc tags.

XMI

XML Metadata Interchange

XML

eXtensible Markup Language

XOR

Logical eXclusive OR

XPn

Extension Points

XSD

XML Schema Definition

XUI

eXtensible User InterfaceSource: Starfield B. Primary care: concept, evaluation, and policy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992

“Now Dose”

A medication dose that is required for administration as soon as possible and is normally outside of the standard dosing schedules.