WHAT IS OPINIONS
Community pharmacists need to bill public and private drug plans for products and services that do not have Drug Identification Numbers (DIN's). Pharmacists use Assigned Product Identification Numbers sometimes referred to as pseudo-DIN's, or more often referred to as PIN's, so as to identify products and services that do not have DIN's and for which they need to bill an insurer. What is chaotic about the present PIN system is that the pharmacy computer can have as many as six or eight PIN's for the exact same medical supply, product or service; each different PIN assigned by a different drug plan / insurer!
In 2000, this chaotic PIN system was identified by the National Working Group on Third Party Issues, by a survey of pharmacists undertaken by the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS) and by some drug plans as a must fix situation. In fact every pharmacy association, every pharmacist and most, if not all private and some government insurers in the country, would like a simpler, compact and more exacting PIN process.
Atlantic Pharmaceutical Services Inc. (APSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the PANS, has designed a web based simple, compact and more exacting PIN process called OPINIONS (On Line product Identification Number Index Of Nova Scotia). The database was created by the APSI staff in consultation with many insurers and has been designed in such a way that at any time, day or night, a pharmacist, insurer, or claims processor can identify a product by it's PIN or UPC code or locate the PIN for a product using a multi faceted search engine. Each PIN corresponds to a specific product and package size, or a specific service.
WHO MAY SUBSCRIBE
Any person may subscribe to the Online Product Identification Number Index Of Nova Scotia (OPINIONS). Those who are present subscribers to one or more APSI Regional Price Guides will have free access to OPINIONS.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
Subscriptions to OPINIONS may be obtained by contacting APSI.
Annual Subscription Price
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Contact APSI for 2010 rates.
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Email us at opinions@atlanticpharmaceutical.ca if you have any questions.
