PTCB Master the Exam –
Comprehensive Study Guide with
Practice Questions and Verified
Answers
Health Care system -Answer✅✅According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a
health care system is defined as a system that consists of organizations, institutions,
and resources of people whose primary purpose is to improve public health
Medicare -Answer✅✅Provides service for the elderly and disabled individuals (must
meet a certain criteria)
Medicaid -Answer✅✅Provides service for lower income individuals. Federally and state
funded
Tricare -Answer✅✅AKA military insurance; provides service to veterans and soldiers
NIH -Answer✅✅National Institute of Health
Employer Insurance -Answer✅✅Most employers provide health insurance to full time
employees
Private Insurance -Answer✅✅Individuals can apply and pay for health insurance.
Smaller businesses offer group rates to their employees.
Copay -Answer✅✅The remaining amount an individual must pay for their medication
after insurance. This form of payment is collected at the point of sale (ie the pharmacy)
Medicare A -Answer✅✅Covers inpatient hospital stays
Medicare B -Answer✅✅Covers outpatient hospital stays and diabetic supplies, DME
(durable medical equipment), patients on long term disabilities, X-rays, dialysis,
vaccines, and respiratory nebulizers
Medicare C -Answer✅✅Additional coverage not covered under A or B. Often called the
advantage plan or choice plan.
,Medicare Part D -Answer✅✅Covers prescription medications; usually processed by
private insurance but funding is provided by CMS (government)
Medicare Part E -Answer✅✅Supplemental coverage; covers A, B, and D (Different
than just Medicare C)
Medicare C only covers A and B
HMO -Answer✅✅Health Maintenance organization
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) -Answer✅✅With an HMO plan, you must
select a primary care physician (PCP) from .a network of local healthcare providers who
will refer you to in-network specialists or hospitals when necessary.
All of your care is coordinated through your PCP
Lost cost to the insurance and the patient
PPO -Answer✅✅preferred provider organization
Perferred Provider Organization (PPO) -Answer✅✅Recommended list of in-network
providers and hospitals
-If you choose a provider outside of your network, your copay may be higher
-More flexibility= pay more money per month
EPO -Answer✅✅Exclusive Provider Organization
Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) -Answer✅✅Sort of like a combination between
HMO's and PPO's
-There is a recommended list of providers and specialists but cannot pick a provider
outside of network
-You can pick any primary care physician but they must be in-network
Workers Compensation -Answer✅✅When a patient has been hurt at work and his/her
company has agreed to pay for the cost of his/her medication
out of pocket -Answer✅✅Individuals without health care coverage and have to pay out
of pocket expenses
Pharmacy Benefit Managers -Answer✅✅PBM
-Primarily responsible for developing and maintaining the formulary, contracting with
pharmacies, negotiating discounts and rebates with drug manufacturers, and
processing and paying prescription drug claims.
-Working with self-insured companies and government programs; trying to reduce
pharmacy expenditures of the plan and trying to improve health outcomes
,Drug Development -Answer✅✅Complex and time consuming; on average it takes 8-15
years for a drug to be developed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration
3 Basic Steps of Drug Development -Answer✅✅1. Research
2. Testing
3. Approval
Research -Answer✅✅Can be done be pharmacologists, toxicologists, clinical
pharmacologists, pharmacists, and physicians
-The objective of research is to find a new active ingredient or to modify the structure of
existing drugs
FDA Regulation -Answer✅✅The food and drug administration was established in 1906
-Charged with the regulation of medications ensuring their safety and effectiveness
before medications are brought to market
Where does testing begin? -Answer✅✅In the laboratory
-Stability
-Structure
-Dosage forms of the drug
Tests are done in animals to assess _______ -Answer✅✅Toxicity
- A new drug must be deemed safe before used in humans
How many steps is the approval process for testing in humans regulated by the FDA? -
Answer✅✅4
Human Test Phase 1 -Answer✅✅Objective: To assess the initial dose and to
determine if humans can tolerate the drug (toxicology)
-A new drug is tested on a few healthy individuals at the lowest dose and is slowly
increased
Pharmacokinetics -Answer✅✅absorption, distribution, metabolism, biotransformation,
and excretion
Most drugs do not make it past phase _______ -Answer✅✅2
Human Test Phase 2 -Answer✅✅When the drug passes the first phase
-The drug is tested on a few hundred volunteers who have the disease the drug is
intended for
-Extensive data on pharmacokinetic and toxicology profile of the drug are collected in
this phase
, -The optimal dose of the drug is determined in this phase
Human Test Phase 3 -Answer✅✅-Must pass phase 2
- Drug is tested on thousands of patients in a health care setting
-Must be randomized, double blind (drug or placebo) controlled study
-Test the efficacy of the drug
Human Test Phase 4 -Answer✅✅AKA Post market surveillance phase
-The drug has reached an approval by the FDA
-Drug interactions, use in pregnancy, and long term side effects are examined
-Pharmacists and patients are encouraged to report side effects to the FDA through
medwatch
Pharmacists/Patients are encouraged to report side effects to the FDA through
________ -Answer✅✅Medwatch
Steps to Drug Use Process: -Answer✅✅1. Storage
2. Distribution
3. Prescribing
4. Dispensing
5. Moniotring
Practitioners with Prescriptive Authority: -Answer✅✅- Physicians (MD)
- Doctor of Osteopathy (DO)
- Veterinarian (DVM)
- Opthamologist (OD)
- Podiatrist (DPM)
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Physician's Assistant (PA)
MD -Answer✅✅Physician
DO -Answer✅✅doctor of osteopathy
DVM -Answer✅✅Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
OD -Answer✅✅Ophthalmologist
DPM -Answer✅✅podiatrist
NP -Answer✅✅nurse practitioner
PA -Answer✅✅physician's assistant
Comprehensive Study Guide with
Practice Questions and Verified
Answers
Health Care system -Answer✅✅According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a
health care system is defined as a system that consists of organizations, institutions,
and resources of people whose primary purpose is to improve public health
Medicare -Answer✅✅Provides service for the elderly and disabled individuals (must
meet a certain criteria)
Medicaid -Answer✅✅Provides service for lower income individuals. Federally and state
funded
Tricare -Answer✅✅AKA military insurance; provides service to veterans and soldiers
NIH -Answer✅✅National Institute of Health
Employer Insurance -Answer✅✅Most employers provide health insurance to full time
employees
Private Insurance -Answer✅✅Individuals can apply and pay for health insurance.
Smaller businesses offer group rates to their employees.
Copay -Answer✅✅The remaining amount an individual must pay for their medication
after insurance. This form of payment is collected at the point of sale (ie the pharmacy)
Medicare A -Answer✅✅Covers inpatient hospital stays
Medicare B -Answer✅✅Covers outpatient hospital stays and diabetic supplies, DME
(durable medical equipment), patients on long term disabilities, X-rays, dialysis,
vaccines, and respiratory nebulizers
Medicare C -Answer✅✅Additional coverage not covered under A or B. Often called the
advantage plan or choice plan.
,Medicare Part D -Answer✅✅Covers prescription medications; usually processed by
private insurance but funding is provided by CMS (government)
Medicare Part E -Answer✅✅Supplemental coverage; covers A, B, and D (Different
than just Medicare C)
Medicare C only covers A and B
HMO -Answer✅✅Health Maintenance organization
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) -Answer✅✅With an HMO plan, you must
select a primary care physician (PCP) from .a network of local healthcare providers who
will refer you to in-network specialists or hospitals when necessary.
All of your care is coordinated through your PCP
Lost cost to the insurance and the patient
PPO -Answer✅✅preferred provider organization
Perferred Provider Organization (PPO) -Answer✅✅Recommended list of in-network
providers and hospitals
-If you choose a provider outside of your network, your copay may be higher
-More flexibility= pay more money per month
EPO -Answer✅✅Exclusive Provider Organization
Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) -Answer✅✅Sort of like a combination between
HMO's and PPO's
-There is a recommended list of providers and specialists but cannot pick a provider
outside of network
-You can pick any primary care physician but they must be in-network
Workers Compensation -Answer✅✅When a patient has been hurt at work and his/her
company has agreed to pay for the cost of his/her medication
out of pocket -Answer✅✅Individuals without health care coverage and have to pay out
of pocket expenses
Pharmacy Benefit Managers -Answer✅✅PBM
-Primarily responsible for developing and maintaining the formulary, contracting with
pharmacies, negotiating discounts and rebates with drug manufacturers, and
processing and paying prescription drug claims.
-Working with self-insured companies and government programs; trying to reduce
pharmacy expenditures of the plan and trying to improve health outcomes
,Drug Development -Answer✅✅Complex and time consuming; on average it takes 8-15
years for a drug to be developed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration
3 Basic Steps of Drug Development -Answer✅✅1. Research
2. Testing
3. Approval
Research -Answer✅✅Can be done be pharmacologists, toxicologists, clinical
pharmacologists, pharmacists, and physicians
-The objective of research is to find a new active ingredient or to modify the structure of
existing drugs
FDA Regulation -Answer✅✅The food and drug administration was established in 1906
-Charged with the regulation of medications ensuring their safety and effectiveness
before medications are brought to market
Where does testing begin? -Answer✅✅In the laboratory
-Stability
-Structure
-Dosage forms of the drug
Tests are done in animals to assess _______ -Answer✅✅Toxicity
- A new drug must be deemed safe before used in humans
How many steps is the approval process for testing in humans regulated by the FDA? -
Answer✅✅4
Human Test Phase 1 -Answer✅✅Objective: To assess the initial dose and to
determine if humans can tolerate the drug (toxicology)
-A new drug is tested on a few healthy individuals at the lowest dose and is slowly
increased
Pharmacokinetics -Answer✅✅absorption, distribution, metabolism, biotransformation,
and excretion
Most drugs do not make it past phase _______ -Answer✅✅2
Human Test Phase 2 -Answer✅✅When the drug passes the first phase
-The drug is tested on a few hundred volunteers who have the disease the drug is
intended for
-Extensive data on pharmacokinetic and toxicology profile of the drug are collected in
this phase
, -The optimal dose of the drug is determined in this phase
Human Test Phase 3 -Answer✅✅-Must pass phase 2
- Drug is tested on thousands of patients in a health care setting
-Must be randomized, double blind (drug or placebo) controlled study
-Test the efficacy of the drug
Human Test Phase 4 -Answer✅✅AKA Post market surveillance phase
-The drug has reached an approval by the FDA
-Drug interactions, use in pregnancy, and long term side effects are examined
-Pharmacists and patients are encouraged to report side effects to the FDA through
medwatch
Pharmacists/Patients are encouraged to report side effects to the FDA through
________ -Answer✅✅Medwatch
Steps to Drug Use Process: -Answer✅✅1. Storage
2. Distribution
3. Prescribing
4. Dispensing
5. Moniotring
Practitioners with Prescriptive Authority: -Answer✅✅- Physicians (MD)
- Doctor of Osteopathy (DO)
- Veterinarian (DVM)
- Opthamologist (OD)
- Podiatrist (DPM)
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Physician's Assistant (PA)
MD -Answer✅✅Physician
DO -Answer✅✅doctor of osteopathy
DVM -Answer✅✅Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
OD -Answer✅✅Ophthalmologist
DPM -Answer✅✅podiatrist
NP -Answer✅✅nurse practitioner
PA -Answer✅✅physician's assistant
