Table 2 Column headings used to aggregate files
Final column name | Original Column Name(s) | Description of data elements |
|---|---|---|
Facility name | Facility name | 82 distinct expressions for names of nursing homes |
Medication | Drug name, medication name, agent, description | 13,549 distinct medications |
Dose | Dose, quantity, qty | Quantities in grams or milligrams for oral medications and in gm/mL for intravenous medications |
Days supply | Days supply, days of supply, days dispensed | Ranged from 0 to 946Â days |
Prescription number | Prescription number, Rx | 938,007 distinct numbers |
Transaction date | Transaction date | Ranged from 9/23/2007 to 6/25/2018 |
Amount | Amount | Ranged from $0 to $15,000.08 |
Route of administration | Route of administration, inventory category | 40 distinct expressions |
Physician | Physician | 7971 distinct physicians |
Health care payor | Payor, pay type description | 13 distinct descriptions reflecting the entity, typically an insurance company, that ultimately pays for the medication, listed as general categories of Medicare, Medicaid, the nursing home, Veterans Affairs, hospice, and private parties |
National drug code | NDC | National Drug Code, 7% missingness, 9885 distinct codes. Ultimately, not used in data analysis |