Telehealth and 503A compounding glossary
Short definitions of the terms you will meet when building a compounded care brand, each linked to the longer explanation.
503A pharmacy
A state-licensed pharmacy that compounds drugs for an identified patient on a valid prescription, under section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Read more
503B outsourcing facility
A compounder that registers voluntarily with FDA, follows CGMP, is inspected on a risk-based schedule, and can supply healthcare providers without a patient-specific prescription. Read more
Anticipatory compounding
Compounding limited quantities before a prescription arrives, based on a history of valid prescriptions. Under FDA guidance a 503A compounder may hold no more than a 30-day supply. Read more
Asynchronous visit
A telehealth encounter where the patient and prescriber do not talk in real time, such as a reviewed questionnaire. Some states restrict its use for some care. Read more
Bulk drug substance
An active ingredient used in compounding. Under section 503A it must meet a USP or NF monograph, be a component of an FDA-approved drug, or appear on FDA’s 503A bulks list. Read more
CGMP
Current good manufacturing practice: FDA’s quality requirements for drug manufacturing. 503B facilities must meet them, and 503A pharmacies are exempt. Read more
Clinical review
A recorded decision by a person that a compounded order may proceed to a pharmacy. On SourceRX, no compounded order is sent to a pharmacy without one. Read more
Compounding
Combining, mixing or altering ingredients to make a medication for a patient, often one who cannot be treated with an FDA-approved drug. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. Read more
Corporate practice of medicine
A doctrine in many states that restricts who may own a medical practice or employ physicians. It often shapes how a non-physician founder structures a telehealth company. Read more
Hosted checkout
A payment page run by the card processor, so card numbers never reach the merchant’s own servers. This narrows the merchant’s PCI scope. Read more
Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
An agreement among member states giving qualified physicians a voluntary, expedited pathway to licenses in multiple states. Each state still issues its own license. Read more
National Provider Identifier (NPI)
A unique 10-digit number for US healthcare providers. An NPI identifies a provider and does not show state licensure. Read more
Nonresident pharmacy license
A license or registration many states require before an out-of-state pharmacy can ship medication to patients there. Read more
NPPES
The National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, the CMS registry that issues NPIs and publishes who holds them. Read more
Office-use prescription
An order for stock kept at a practice instead of for a named patient. It does not meet the patient-specific requirement of section 503A. Read more
Patient-specific prescription
A valid prescription order that identifies the individual patient the drug is for. Section 503A depends on it. Read more
State board of pharmacy
The state agency that licenses pharmacies and pharmacists. It holds primary day-to-day oversight of 503A pharmacies. Read more
White-label telehealth
A model where a business sells care under its own brand while a platform runs prescribers, pharmacy fulfillment, patient records and payments. Read more
Bring the brand. We run what sits underneath it.
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