Mail Order Pharmacy

mailord_pharm

pharmacy

Updated 5/16/2026

Definition

A pharmacy channel classification used in PBM claims data, member benefit design tables, and pharmacy network files where medications are dispensed in 90-day supplies and delivered by post. Mail order claims are distinguished from retail in NCPDP claim fields using pharmacy type codes, affecting cost-sharing calculations and formulary tier logic in plan benefit configurations.

Standard Abbreviation

mailord_pharm

Database Usage

-- Example column naming
CREATE TABLE claims (
  clm_id VARCHAR(50),
  mailord_pharm VARCHAR(100),  -- Mail Order Pharmacy (max 100 chars)
  ...
);

-- Example in SELECT
SELECT
  clm_id,
  mailord_pharm as mail_order_pharmacy
FROM claims;

Common uses in healthcare data

PBM claims adjudication and drug utilization review
Controlled substance monitoring and DEA compliance
Pharmacy data warehouse and ETL pipeline design
Prior authorization and step therapy workflows
Medicare Part D reporting and CMS submissions

Example database column name

ISO-11179 snake_case standard

-- Recommended column name
mail_order_pharmacy

-- Example DDL
CREATE TABLE healthcare_data (
  record_id   VARCHAR(50)   NOT NULL,
  mail_order_pharmacy VARCHAR(100),  -- Mail Order Pharmacy (max 100 chars)
  created_dt  TIMESTAMP     NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW()
);

Column names follow the ISO-11179 naming convention: lowercase, underscore-separated, using the standard abbreviation as a prefix where applicable.

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