Keep the words clear
What do those words mean?
Find a word from an offer or a visit. Read the meaning, then return to your question.
All terms are shown.
- Peptide
- A small chain made from amino acids, which are building parts of proteins.
- Telehealth
- Video, phone calls, or messages connect you with a doctor or another health professional for care.
- Asynchronous visit
- You send health information and a doctor or other health professional reads it later. You do not need to be available at the same time.
- Clinician
- A trained health professional, such as a doctor, who assesses your health and talks through your care.
- State medical board
- A state office that holds doctors’ licence records as well as records of public action against them.
- State board of pharmacy
- A state office responsible for pharmacy licensing and the records of those licences.
- Compounding
- Making a preparation for a particular patient instead of using a drug maker’s ready-made medicine.
- FDA approval
- The Food and Drug Administration’s review of a specific product for a named use.
- FDA registration
- FDA registration does not mean the business itself or its medicines have FDA approval. This rule was checked September 26, 2026.
- NDC
- A National Drug Code is a code used to identify a product. Having the code does not prove FDA has approved the medicine. This rule was checked September 26, 2026.
- Active ingredient
- The substance that produces a medicine’s effects.
- Generic medicine
- An approved medicine that is a copy of a product sold under a brand name.
- Drug shortage
- A national FDA listing of limited supply, distinct from a pharmacy being out of stock.
- GLP-1
- A hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite; certain medicines mimic its action.
- Formulary
- The list showing which medicines an insurance plan covers.
- Prior authorization
- An insurance plan’s check of a proposed medicine before agreeing to cover its cost.
- List price
- The drug maker’s published price for selling to businesses. This is different from the price you pay with insurance or an offer for people paying without insurance. Ask for your own quote to find out your bill.
- Self-pay
- Paying for medicine outside insurance using a cash-price offer.
- Copay
- The part of an insurance-covered bill that the patient pays.
- Adverse event
- An unwanted event while using a medicine. A report by itself cannot prove that the medicine caused the event.
- MedWatch
- The FDA programme that takes reports of medicine problems from patients as well as health professionals.
Close the chapter
Keep this in view
Ask for the plain meaning when a word changes what you are being offered or what you are being charged.