[NO/URSA-CORE] Medication Dispenses

  • Published on Apr 10, 2026
  • 7 minute(s) read
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Object Description

One record per medication dispense; includes information about medication administrations that occur contemporaneous to when the medication is dispensed.

Metadata

  • Table Name: ursa.no_ursa_core_meds_004
  • Layer: NATURAL_OBJECT
  • Object Type: Single Stack
  • Temporal Class: Event
  • Case ID: Medication Dispense ID
  • Event Date: Dispensed Date
  • Primary Key: Medication Dispense ID

Published Fields

  • Data Model Keys

    • Medication Dispense ID
    • Patient ID -- The internal database identifier (used, e.g., for joins and primary keys) for the patient. This value is typically mastered, i.e., all records for the same patient, regardless of the source data system from which that record originated, should have the same Patient ID value. (Note that while the mastered Patient ID value might resemble a local identifier used in one of the upstream data sources, this does not indicate any special priority of that source system in determining the characteristics of the patient.) (See also [URSA-CORE] Patient)
    • Medication ID -- The internal database identifier (used, e.g., for joins and primary keys) for the medication. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication)
    • Medication Order ID -- The internal database identifier (used, e.g., for joins and primary keys) for the medication order. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication Order)
    • Dispensing Provider ID
    • EMR Encounter ID -- The internal database identifier (used, e.g., for joins and primary keys) for the EMR encounter. (See also [URSA-CORE] EMR Encounter)
    • Document ID -- The internal database identifier (used, e.g., for joins and primary keys) for the document. (See also [URSA-CORE] Document)
    • Source ID -- The identifier for the original source data system from which the current record originated.

  • Source Local Keys

    • Source Local Medication Dispense ID
    • Source Local Patient ID -- The internal database identifier for the patient in the source data system this record originated from. (See also [URSA-CORE] Patient)
    • Source Local Dispensing Provider ID

  • Operations Support Fields

    • Is Medication Administered
    • Prescription Number -- The unique, user-facing (“real-world”) identifier used by operational systems or staff to identify the medication order. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication Order)

  • Date Fields

    • Dispensed Date
    • Dispensed Datetime
    • Administered Date
    • Administered Datetime

  • Provider Fields

    • Dispensing Provider Description
    • Dispensing Provider NPI

  • Medication Fields

    • Medication Description -- The natural language description of the medication. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication)
    • NDC Code 11-Digit -- The standard 11-digit National Drug Code; e.g., 00045012400 = Tylenol 500 mg.
    • SNOMED CT Code -- The standard Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) code for the referenced concept; e.g., 284196006 = burn of skin. SNOMED CT codes can be used to identify conditions, medications, services, labs, and other clinical concepts.
    • RxNorm Code -- The standard RxNorm code for medications; e.g., 315253 = acetaminophen 160 MG.
    • CDC CVX Code -- The standard 2- or 3-digit CVX code developed and maintained by the CDC, identifying administered vaccine substances; e.g., 05 = Measles; 62 = HPV, quadrivalent; 118 = HPV, bivalent. CVX codes below 10 should include a leading zero.
    • Dosage Description -- The natural language description of the medication order dosage. Also called the Sig. (See also [URSA-CORE] Dosage)
    • Dose Quantity Description -- The natural language description of the dose quantity. (See also [URSA-CORE] Dose Quantity)
    • Dose Quantity Numeric -- The numeric component of a dose quantity, expressed as a number, including non-integer values, if applicable.
    • Dose Quantity Unit Description -- The natural language description of the unit component of dose quantity. (See also [URSA-CORE] Dose Quantity)
    • Doses per Day -- The dose frequency expressed as a number of doses per day. (See also [URSA-CORE] Dose Frequency)
    • Is Dose Frequency PRN -- Indicates a dose frequency of PRN (guidance to take the medication as needed).
    • Series Dose Number
    • Strength Description -- A natural language description of the medication strength. For medications with multiple active ingredients, the standard convention is to list strength values in the alphabetical order of the active ingredients. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication Strength)
    • Strength Numeric -- The numeric component of medication strength, expressed as a number, including non-integer values, if applicable. For medications with multiple strengths, this field should take the value of the first ingredient's numeric strength. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication Strength)
    • Strength Unit Description -- The natural language description of the unit component of medication strength; e.g., mg, mg / 5 ml. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication Strength)
    • Active Ingredients Description -- A natural language description of the medication's biologically active ingredient(s). For medications with multiple active ingredients, the active ingredients should be listed in alphabetical order.
    • AHFS Therapeutic Class Code 6-Digit -- The standard 6-digit AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Class Code, representing the first 3 tiers of the AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Classification system. The code is expressed as 6 numbers, without special characters delimiting the tiers, with leading and trailing zeros as needed. (See also [URSA-CORE] AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Classification System)
    • AHFS Therapeutic Class Code 8-Digit -- The standard 8-digit AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Class Code, representing all 4 tiers of the AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Classification system. The code is expressed as 8 numbers, without special characters delimiting the tiers, with leading and trailing zeros as needed. (See also [URSA-CORE] AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Classification System)
    • AHFS Therapeutic Class Tier 1 Description -- The natural language description of the first-tier category within the AHFS Therapeutic Classification System that the medication is assigned to. (See also [URSA-CORE] AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Classification System)
    • AHFS Therapeutic Class Tier 2 Description -- The natural language description of the second-tier category within the AHFS Therapeutic Classification System that the medication is assigned to. (See also [URSA-CORE] AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Classification System)
    • AHFS Therapeutic Class Tier 3 Description -- The natural language description of the third-tier category within the AHFS Therapeutic Classification System that the medication is assigned to. (See also [URSA-CORE] AHFS Pharmacologic-Therapeutic Classification System)
    • Red Book Generic Cross Reference Code -- A unique 6-digit code assigned to all products that contain the same set of active ingredients. By extracting all records containing this code, users can identify comparable products regardless of trade or generic name. (See also [URSA-CORE] Red Book Generic Formulation Code)
    • Red Book Generic Formulation Code -- A unique 6-digit code identifying drugs with common active ingredients, master dosage form, strength, and route of administration. The GFC is not manufacturer or package size specific, and can therefore be used in preparation of drug utilization reports and analysis of generic alternatives for substitution and formulary development. The GFC may also be used within pharmacy and claims administration systems as an efficient means of linking NDC numbers to clinical screening functions. (See also [URSA-CORE] Red Book Generic Cross Reference Code)
    • Medi-Span GPI Code 14-Digit -- The 14-digit Medi-Span Generic Product Identifier (GPI) for the medication. The GPI is a 7-level hierarchical classification, with each level represented by two digits in the GPI. The full 14-digit GPI describes a medication's class, ingredients, dosage form, and strength. GPI values should include leading and trailing zeros and should not include hyphens or other special characters.
    • Form Description -- The natural language description of the medication's form. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication Form)
    • FDA Dosage Form Code -- The standard Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dosage form code describing the medication form; e.g., C42887 = aerosol. (See also [URSA-CORE] Medication Form)
    • Route of Administration Description -- The natural language description of the medication's route of administration.
    • Is OTC -- Indicates that the medication is an over-the-counter (OTC) drug that does not require a prescription.
    • Is Compound Drug -- Indicates the medication is a mixture of two or more drugs, typically created individually for a particular patient.
    • Dispense Setting Description
    • Is Dispense Setting Inpatient
    • Is Dispense Setting Outpatient
    • Is Dispense Setting Community
    • Quantity Dispensed -- The quantity of medication dispensed in the fill. For medications with discrete forms (e.g., tablets, capsules, etc.) this is the number of those discrete units dispensed. For non-discrete forms (e.g., solution, cream, etc.) this is some other measure of quantity, including (but not necessarily) the number of doses dispensed.
    • Days Supply -- The number of calendar days, including the date the medication was dispensed, the dispensed medication will last at the patient's intended dosage as defined in their prescription.
    • Is Refill -- Indicates the fill is not the first fill on a prescription.
    • Fill Number -- The ordinal number, chronologically ordered, of the fill among other fills made on the same prescription; with the first fill assigned a value of 1.
    • Does Frequency Description

  • Metadata Fields

    • Dispense Status Description
    • Dispense Status Operational ID
    • Is Dispense Status Cancelled
    • Is Dispense Status Completed
    • Administration Status Description
    • Administration Status Operational ID
    • Is Administration Status Cancelled
    • Is Administration Status Completed
    • Other EMR Comments -- Any other annotations or comments associated with the current record entered into the EMR.
    • Record Last Updated Datetime -- The date and time the current record was last updated in the original data source.
    • Source Data Effective Datetime -- The "as of" date and time of the original source data system at the moment the current record was extracted. For example, if a snapshot of the data in a production system is taken at 12:05 AM on the first of each month and used to generate a package of flat files that are eventually loaded into the Ursa Studio client database later that month, the Source Data Effective Datetime of all records in that month's package will be 12:05 AM on the first. Not to be confused with Record Last Updated Datetime. (See also [URSA-CORE] Record Last Updated Datetime)

Foreign Keys

  • pat_id → ursa.no_ursa_core_pat_001.pat_id
  • medication_id → ursa.no_ursa_core_meds_001.medication_id
  • prescribing_prov_id → ursa.no_ursa_core_prov_001.prov_id
  • medication_order_id → ursa.no_ursa_core_meds_002.medication_order_id
  • ordering_prov_id → ursa.no_ursa_core_prov_001.prov_id
  • dispensing_prov_id → ursa.no_ursa_core_prov_001.prov_id
  • emr_enc_id → ursa.no_ursa_core_enc_001.emr_enc_id

Dedicated Precursors

  • [NO/URSA-CORE] Medication Dispenses, Precursor 1 (All Source Records): One record per medication dispense; includes information about medication administrations that occur contemporaneous to when the medication is dispensed.