The Part D Pharmacy Characteristics file provides information about the pharmacy identified as the source of the drug for each Part D Event (PDE) prescription fill record.
What does this file include? (variable highlights)
- Pharmacy type
- Pharmacy dispenser type code
- Pharmacy primary taxonomy code
- DME service
- Walk-in service
- Linking variable to the PDE file:
- CCW Pharmacy ID
Why do researchers request this file?
- Evaluate medication possession rates by pharmacy type
- Assess the effect of pharmacy type on clinical outcomes
Special considerations
- Beginning with the CY 2014 file, it is possible to request an unencrypted pharmacy identifier.
- Researchers who request and are approved by CMS for unencrypted variables will be able to link to third party data for pharmacy characteristics.
