RxNorm is the recommended national standard for medication vocabulary for clinical drugs and drug delivery devices produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Each of the commercial drug vocabulary companies, including First DataBank, provide key medication concept identifiers to the NLM who then maps these concepts to their RxNorm vocabulary, matching to existing RxNorm codes or creating new codes for drug formulations or their ingredients as needed.
To support our customers who are developing healthcare IT applications that require medication vocabulary interoperability — such as those for e-prescribing, medication dispensing and EMR systems — First DataBank offers the RxNorm Cross-Reference Module. By providing RxNorm concepts mapped to key First DataBank identifiers within the National Drug Data File (NDDF) Plus™, the RxNorm Cross-Reference Module provides a foundation for medication vocabulary interoperability between healthcare information systems. Drug vocabulary linking and translation is essential for healthcare IT systems using different drug databases to effectively communicate drug information across often disparate platforms.
Additional Benefits of the First DataBank RxNorm Cross Reference Module
- The First DataBank RxNorm Cross-Reference Module facilitates adherence to current regulatory requirements. The module enables users to include the RxNorm code as part of Medicare Part D formulary submissions to CMS and to include the RxNorm identifier on a Continuity of Care Document (CCD) required to meet CCHIT certification criteria.
- Eliminates the need to manually download and manipulate large, complex Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) or NLM RxNorm files and synchronize with their First DataBank data delivery
- Eliminates the need to create data mappings to and from NDDF Plus identifiers that are not included in the NLM download files
- Eliminates the need to create, maintain and quality control data algorithms to make the RxNorm data usable
The First DataBank RxNorm Cross-Reference Module includes both pass-through mappings from RxNorm and provides value-added mappings between key First DataBank concepts to RxNorm terms. These robust mappings not only help users easily navigate from NDDF identifiers to RxNorm terms but provide additional utility over the NLM RxNorm file. For a detailed list, please download the RxNorm datasheet.
Single Source of Drug Data Provides Unparalleled Convenience
Users of the First DataBank RxNorm Cross-Reference Module enjoy the convenience of a single source of data delivery as the RxNorm file delivery is synchronized with regular First DataBank NDDF Plus data updates. First DataBank offers the choice of weekly or monthly module updates that map NDDF Plus identifiers to RxNorm terms, thereby eliminating the need to separately download the NLM file to get RxNorm updates.