"Administer" means the direct application of a Drug to the body of a patient or research subject by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means.

"Automated Pharmacy Systems" include, but are not limited to, mechanical systems which perform operations or activities, other than Compounding or Administration, relative to the storage, packaging, Dispensing, or Distribution of medications, and which collect, control, and maintain all transaction information.

"Board of Pharmacy" or "Board" means the governmental regulatory body empowered to regulate pharmaceutical practices including granting and disciplining licenses of individuals and companies.

"Certification Period" means the one year period following the initial certification or a renewal certification by NABP of VIPPS status.

"Collaborative Pharmacy Practice" is that Practice of Pharmacy whereby a Pharmacist has jointly agreed, on a voluntary basis, to work in conjunction with one or more Practitioners under protocol whereby the Pharmacist may perform certain patient care functions authorized by the Practitioner or Practitioners under certain specified conditions and/or limitations.

"Compounding" means the preparation, mixing, assembling, packaging, or Labeling of a Drug or Device as the result of a Practitioner's Prescription Drug Order or initiative based on the Practitioner/patient/Pharmacist relationship in the course of professional practice, or for the purpose of, or as an incident to, research, teaching, or chemical analysis and not for sale or Dispensing. Compounding also includes the preparation of Drugs or Devices in anticipation of Prescription Drug Orders based on routine, regularly observed prescribing patterns.

"Confidential Information" means information accessed, maintained by, or transmitted to the Pharmacist in the patient's records or which is communicated to the patient as part of Patient Counseling, which is privileged and may be released only to the patient or, as the patient directs, to those Practitioners, other authorized health care professionals, and other Pharmacists where, in the Pharmacist's professional judgment, such release is necessary to protect the patient's health and well being; and to such other Persons or governmental agencies authorized or required by law to receive such Confidential Information, regardless of whether such information is in the form of paper, preserved on microfilm, or is stored on electronic media.

"Criteria" means the requirements for accreditation in the VIPPS program.

"Deliver" or "Delivery" means the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer of a Drug or Device from one Person to another, whether or not for a consideration.

"Device" means an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, or other similar or related article, including any component part or accessory, which is required under Federal law to bear the label, "Caution: Federal or State law requires Dispensing by or on the order of a physician. "

"Dispense" or "Dispensing" means the interpretation, evaluation, and implementation of a Prescription Drug Order, including the preparation and Delivery of a Drug or Device to a patient or patient's agent in a suitable container appropriately labeled for subsequent Administration to, or use by, a patient.

"Distribute" means the Delivery of a Drug or Device other than by Administering or Dispensing.

"Drug" means:

• articles recognized as Drugs in any official compendium, or supplement thereto, designated from time to time by the Board for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals;
• articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals;
• articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals; and
• articles intended for use as a component of any articles specified in clause (1), (2), or (3) of this definition.

"Drug Regimen Review" includes but is not limited to the following activities:

• Evaluation of the Prescription Drug Order(s) and patient record(s) for:
  • known allergies;
  • rational therapy-contraindications;
  • reasonable dose and route of Administration; and
  • reasonable directions for use.
• Evaluation of the Prescription Drug Order(s) and patient record(s) for duplication of therapy. Evaluation of the Prescription Drug Order(s) and patient record(s) for interactions:
  • Drug-Drug;
  • Drug-food;
  • Drug-disease; and
  • adverse Drug reactions.
• Evaluation of the Prescription Drug Order(s) and patient record(s) for proper utilization (including over- or under-utilization), and optimum therapeutic outcomes.

"Electronic Transmission" means transmission of information in electronic form or the transmission of the exact visual image of a document by way of electronic equipment.

"Emergency Situations," for the purposes of authorizing an oral Prescription Drug Order of a Schedule II controlled substance, means those situations in which the prescribing Practitioner determines (1) that immediate Administration of the controlled substance is necessary for proper treatment of the patient, (2) that no appropriate alternative treatment is available, including Administration of a Drug which is not a Schedule II controlled substance, and (3) that it is not reasonably possible for the prescribing Practitioner to provide a written Prescription Drug Order to be presented to the Person Dispensing the substance, prior to the Dispensing.

"Equivalent Drug Product" means a Drug product which has the same established name, active ingredient(s), strength or concentration, dosage form, and route of Administration and which is formulated to contain the same amount of active ingredient(s) in the same dosage form and to meet the same compendial or other applicable standards (i.e., strength, quality, purity, and identity), but which may differ in characteristics, such as shape, scoring, configuration, packaging, excipients (including colors, flavors, preservatives), and expiration time.

"Labeling" means the process of preparing and affixing a label to any Drug container exclusive, however, of the labeling by a Manufacturer, packer, or Distributor of a Non-Prescription Drug or commercially packaged Legend Drug or Device. Any such label shall include all information required by Federal and State law or rule.

"Manufacturer" means a Person engaged in the Manufacture of Drugs or Devices.

"Manufacturing" means the production, preparation, propagation, conversion, or processing of a Drug or Device, either directly or indirectly, by extraction from substances of natural origin or independently by means of chemical or biological synthesis, and includes any packaging or repackaging of the substance(s) or Labeling or relabeling of its container, and the promotion and marketing of such Drugs or Devices. Manufacturing also includes the preparation and promotion of commercially available products from bulk compounds for resale by pharmacies, Practitioners, or other Persons.

"Medical Order" means a lawful order of a Practitioner which may or may not include a Prescription Drug Order.

"National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)" means the association whose members are the Boards of Pharmacy, which association was established to assist Boards in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health.

"Non-Prescription Drug" means a Drug which may be sold without a prescription and which is labeled for use by the consumer in accordance with the requirements of the laws and rules of this State and the Federal government.

"Nonresident Pharmacy " means a Pharmacy located outside this State.

"Patient Counseling" means the oral communication by the Pharmacist of information, as defined in the rules of the applicable Board, to the patient or caregiver, in order to ensure proper use of Drugs and Devices.

"Person" means an individual, corporation, subsidiary, partnership, association, organization, affiliate organization, or any other entity involved with or through the Internet pharmacy in the practice of pharmacy, including government.

"Pharmacist" means an individual currently licensed by a State to engage in the Practice of Pharmacy.

"Pharmacist Care" is the provision of Drug therapy and other patient care services intended to achieve outcomes related to the cure or prevention of a disease, elimination or reduction of a patient's symptoms, or arresting or slowing of a disease process as defined in the Rules of the Board.

"Pharmacist-in-Charge" means a Pharmacist currently licensed in a state who accepts responsibility for the operation of a Pharmacy in conformance with all laws and rules pertinent to the Practice of Pharmacy and the Distribution of Drugs, and who is personally in full and actual charge of such Pharmacy and personnel.

"Pharmacy" means any place within the State where Drugs are Dispensed and Pharmaceutical Care is provided and any place outside of a State where Drugs are Dispensed and Pharmaceutical Care is provided to residents of the State.

"Pharmacy Intern " means an individual who is:

currently licensed by this State to engage in the Practice of Pharmacy while under the personal supervision of a Pharmacist and is satisfactorily progressing toward meeting the requirements for licensure as a Pharmacist; or

a graduate of an approved college of Pharmacy or a graduate who has established educational equivalency by obtaining a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Certificate, who is currently licensed by the Board of Pharmacy for the purpose of obtaining practical experience as a requirement for licensure as a Pharmacist; or

a qualified applicant awaiting examination for licensure; or

an individual participating in a residency or fellowship program.

"Pharmacy Technician" means personnel who assist in the Practice of Pharmacy under the personal and direct supervision of a Pharmacist and are registered with the Board as defined in Article III of this Act.

"Telepharmacy Practice" means the provision of Pharmaceutical Care through the use of telecommunications and information technologies to patients at a distance.

"Practice of Pharmacy" means the interpretation, evaluation, and implementation of Medical Orders; the Dispensing of Prescription Drug Orders; participation in Drug and Device selection, Drug Administration, Drug Regimen Reviews, and Drug or Drug-related research; provision of Patient Counseling and the provision of those acts or services necessary to provide Pharmaceutical Care in all areas of patient care, including Primary Care and Collaborative Pharmacy Practice; and the responsibility for Compounding and Labeling of Drugs and Devices (except Labeling by a Manufacturer, repackager, or Distributor of Non-Prescription Drugs and commercially packaged Legend Drugs and Devices), proper and safe storage of Drugs and Devices, and maintenance of proper records for them.

"Practitioner" means an individual currently licensed, registered, or otherwise authorized by the appropriate jurisdiction to prescribe and Administer Drugs in the course of professional practice.

"Prescription Drug" or "Legend Drug" means a Drug which is required under Federal law to be labeled with either of the following statements prior to being Dispensed or Delivered: (i) "Caution: Federal law prohibits Dispensing without prescription"; or (ii) "Caution: Federal law restricts this Drug to use by, or on the order of, a licensed veterinarian"; or (iii) a Drug which is required by any applicable Federal or State law or rule to be Dispensed pursuant only to a Prescription Drug Order or is restricted to use by Practitioners only.

"Prescription Drug Order" means a lawful order from a Practitioner for a Drug or Device for a specific patient, including orders derived from Collaborative Pharmacy Practice, that is communicated directly to a Pharmacist in a licensed Pharmacy.

"Primary Care" is the first level of contact of individuals, the family, and the community with the health care delivery system, bringing health care as close as possible to where people live and work, and constitutes the first element of a continuing health care process. (Areas of Primary Care where Pharmacists provide Pharmaceutical Care include, but are not limited to, the following: chronic disease management; smoking cessation; maternal and child health; immunizations; family planning; self-care consulting; Drug selection under protocol; treatment of common diseases and injuries; nutrition; and general health education and promotion.)

"Prospective Drug Use Review" means a review of the patient's Drug therapy and Prescription Drug Order as part of a Drug Regimen Review, as defined in the rules of the Board, prior to Dispensing the Drug.

"Significant Adverse Drug Reaction" means any Drug-related incident that may result in serious harm, injury, or death to the patient.

"Wholesale Distributor" means any Person engaged in Wholesale Distribution of Drugs, including but not limited to Manufacturers; repackagers; own-label Distributors; private-label Distributors; jobbers; brokers; warehouses, including Manufacturers' and Distributors' warehouses, chain Drug warehouses, and Wholesale Drug warehouses; independent Wholesale Drug traders; and retail pharmacies that conduct Wholesale Distributions.

"Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites^™ (VIPPS^®)" means the Internet pharmacies whose sites have had their state pharmacy licenses verified by NABP to be in good standing and have agreed to adhere to criteria and program requirements of good pharmacy practices.

"VIPPS^® Accreditation" means written accreditation by NABP verifying the VIPPS status of Internet pharmacies that have met the VIPPS criteria and have agreed to adhere to the VIPPS criteria and program requirements.

"VIPPS^® Accredited Pharmacy" means a person bound by contractual agreements to form an Internet pharmacy practice and meeting and adhering to the criteria and requirements of the VIPPS program.

Disclaimer

• Program Updates & FAQ
• Application
• Buying Medicine Online
• Search for a Pharmacy
• List of VIPPS Pharmacies
• Criteria
• Definitions
• Report a Site
• Accreditation Process
• Instructions
• Program Fees
• E-mail VIPPS Staff
• Information Kit