Access to OPINIONS

As you are aware the web-based pseudo-DIN database called OPINIONS, which stands for the Online Product Identification Number Index of Nova Scotia, was started in June of 2003 by Atlantic Pharmaceutical Services Inc. (APSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS) and has been under construction for a number of years.  OPINIONS provides pharmacists with an easy to use, searchable database of products and services that have been assigned Pseudo-DINS (PINS) which are used by payers to reimburse pharmacies for products and services.  Until now we have offered the database free of charge to anyone wishing to acquire Pseudo DINS for their products and to those who subscribe to APSI.  This free trial period was scheduled to last for three months back in 2003 but was still in place up to December 2009.  Because of the popularity of the program and the additional workload involved we have determined that we can no longer sustain the program without funding.  Please click here to access our new fee schedule.  We apologize for any interruption in service that this may cause.

Thank you for making OPINIONS the great program that it has proved to be.

Note:  Subscribers to APSI will still receive access to OPINIONS. 

OPINIONS Database

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

Please click here to access our new OPINIONS Fee Schedule or contact APSI.

Email  evelyn@pans.ns.ca if you have any questions.