For AI agents: the documentation index is at /docs/payerbox/llms.txt. A Markdown version of this page is available at /docs/payerbox/data-integration/drug-formulary/formulary-drugs.md or by requesting it with the Accept: text/markdown header.
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Formulary Drugs

Datasets

Part of the Drug Formulary feed, built to Da Vinci PDex US Drug Formulary STU 2.1.0. The feed's data conventions apply.

DatasetUS Drug Formulary STU 2.1.0 target profile
formulary_drugsFormulary Drug (MedicationKnowledge)

formulary_drugs

One row per prescribable product on any of your formularies, identified by RxNorm at the strength-and-form level.

ColumnRequiredFormat / valuesExample
drug_idYesyour stable key for the drug; formulary_items reference it. The RxCUI itself is a good key when you list each product onceRX-1049640
rxnorm_codeYesRxCUI with term type SCD, SBD, GPCK or BPCK: the ingredient, strength and dose form, branded or not SemanticDrugVS1049640
rxnorm_form_group_codesYes for SCD and SBD, blank for packsRxCUIs of the drug's form groups, term type SCDG or SBDG, ;-separated, up to two: the ingredient and dose form without strength SemanticDrugFormGroupVS1185784
rxnorm_displayNothe RxNorm name; Payerbox derives it, send only to pin a spelling
ndc_codesIf a specific productNDCs this row is limited to, ;-separated, up to five, when one RxNorm code has products with different coverage; 11 digits with or without hyphens, or a hyphenated 10-digit labeler form00069-0197-30
gpi_codeIf available14-digit Medi-Span Generic Product Identifier your formulary system uses for the drug21360019000320
statusYesactive, inactive, entered-in-error medicationknowledge-statusactive
dose_form_codeIf availableSNOMED CT dose form385055001
dose_form_textIf no dose_form_codethe dose form as your system spells itTABLET
last_updatedYesdatetime with a timezone offset, YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss±hh:mm, when the drug record last changed in your system; a date alone holds the row back2026-10-01T09:00:00-05:00
is_deletedIf retractingtrue sets the published drug's status to inactivetrue
  • rxnorm_code is the searchable identity of the drug: the IG requires the strength-and-form code (SCD or SBD) or the pack code (GPCK or BPCK), so a member's app can find the exact product prescribed. An ingredient-level RxCUI is rejected.
  • rxnorm_form_group_codes is mandatory whenever the IG's invariant applies: every SCD and SBD drug must also carry its SCDG or SBDG group, which lets a member search without knowing the strength. A branded drug may carry both its branded and its clinical group, hence the list. Packs have no group. Payerbox does not derive the group from the strength code, so send it.
  • Not collected: synonym, ingredient, productType, monograph, cost, administrationGuidelines, medicineClassification, regulatory, kinetics and the other clinical elements of MedicationKnowledge. None is must-support in the profile; the formulary describes coverage, not the drug's pharmacology.
  • The IG lets one RxNorm code appear as several drug rows when products under it are covered differently. Give each its own drug_id and list the NDCs it applies to in ndc_codes; each becomes an additional coding on the resource.
  • A drug taken off every formulary is inactive, not deleted, for the rest of the plan year.
  • dose_form_code and dose_form_text are one FHIR element. Send the SNOMED CT code where your drug file has one; send the text where it has only a label such as TABLET, and Payerbox publishes the text. Both may be sent together.

Codes

A formulary drug is one MedicationKnowledge whose code carries every identifier you send for the product, each as its own coding. Members' apps search by RxNorm; the others are there so a drug can be matched to claims, pharmacy files and your own systems.

ColumnCode system publishedNote
rxnorm_codehttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnormmandatory; the strength-and-form or pack concept
rxnorm_form_group_codeshttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnormmandatory for SCD and SBD; one coding per form-group concept. Its display is derived by Payerbox, as rxnorm_display is when not sent; there is no column for it
ndc_codeshttp://hl7.org/fhir/sid/ndcone coding per NDC, published in the 11-digit 5-4-2 form. Send 00069-0197-30, 00069019730, or a hyphenated 10-digit labeler form (0069-0197-30, 00069-197-30, 00069-0197-3), which Payerbox pads. Ten bare digits cannot be told apart between those forms and are reported as invalid_ndc
gpi_codethe GPI code system URI agreed at scopingGPI has no HL7-registered system URI, so the one Payerbox publishes is fixed per engagement and stays stable across snapshots
dose_form_codehttp://snomed.info/sctdoseForm.coding; dose_form_text becomes doseForm.text

These resources are served by Patient Access.

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