Frequently Asked Questions - Implentation of the ASAP Standard--Version 4
I. General Requirements and Policies
Q: When must pharmacies begin submitting controlled substance prescription information to the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) in the ASAP Version 4 format?
A: January 1, 2009.
Q: Can a pharmacy request an extension to begin submitting controlled substance prescription information in the ASAP Version 4 format later than January 1, 2009?
A: No. BNE is not granting extensions based on specific requests. Pharmacies and software vendors capable of submitting prescription information in ASAP Version 4 must begin submitting in ASAP Version 4 on January 1, 2009.
Q: Will any pharmacy be allowed to submit controlled substance prescription information in ASAP Version 2 after January 1, 2009?
A: BNE may allow some pharmacies to submit prescription information in the current ASAP Version 2 format after January 1, 2009. However, the acceptance of prescription information in ASAP Version 2 will be discontinued on a future date, to be determined by BNE.
Important Note: Pharmacies that fail to begin submitting prescription information in ASAP Version 4 in a timely manner, as determined by BNE, may be referred to the New York State Department of Health's Division of Legal Affairs for the possible commencement of an enforcement action.
Q: Can a pharmacy submit required prescription information in ASAP Version 3?
A: No. Prescription information cannot be submitted in Version 3 under any circumstance.
Q: Can the Department of Health provide a pharmacy or software vendor with a copy of the "Implementation Guide for the ASAP Standard for Prescription-Monitoring Programs"?
A: No. To obtain a copy of the guide, please contact the American Society for Automation in Pharmacy (ASAP) at 610-825-7783.
Q: Can a pharmacy or software vendor concatenate complete files from multiple locations, without modification, and transmit as one file?
A: Yes. Please contact the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement at 866-811-7957 (Option 1) for further instructions.
II. Testing Procedures
Q: Do we send a test file in the new format and the old format simultaneously?
A: No. Vendors and pharmacies are encouraged to submit a test file in Version 4 prior to submission of actual production data. The test file can contain actual prescription data. However, the records contained in a transmission with a file type of "T" (TH07) will not be stored on the Bureau's file and does not comply with requirements for submission of data for the time period contained within the file. Prior to submitting a test file, please contact BNE.
Q: How can I tell if my prescription data submission has been accepted?
A: A message similar to the following will be displayed if the file was uploaded successfully:
Received file named (your file name here)
Data file size: --##### characters
Accepted ASAP Ver 4.0 file File contained # submissions, # pharmacies, # patients, and # prescriptions
Processing took 1 seconds
The data has been submitted for processing.
III. Error Messages
Q: How can I tell if my prescription data submission has NOT been accepted?
A: You will get the following line at the end of any error messages if your file was NOT uploaded successfully:
There were fatal errors: This submission is not accepted!
Q: If my submission file is not being accepted by the Website, can I submit it to the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement or the New York State Department of Health for assistance?
A: No. Carefully review the error message(s) provided prior to seeking assistance. If a software vendor was used to format the file, provide them with the error message(s) and the data and have the vendor correct the problems in their program. The vendor should be able to format the file by reviewing the ASAP Version 4 manual and the error messages provided.
Q: I keep getting error messages. What are the messages telling me?
A: The error messages are formatted in several parts.
Received file named C:\Submission_files\Dec1120083394979[2].txt
Data file size: --221335 characters
Incorrect # of data elements, 9, in segment DSP.
Required data element, DSP16, was not supplied
Error occurred in submission: 3394979, DSP section #1 of PAT section #1 of PHM section #1
Please refer the ASAP Version 4.0 Implementation Guide to resolve this problem.
There were fatal errors: This submission is not accepted!
Part 1: The first part will be the file name of the data you are trying to submit, for example:
Received file named C:\Submission_files\Dec1120083394979[2].txt
Part 2: The second part will be the number of characters that were in the file:
Data file size: --221335 characters
Part 3: The third part will be the actual error, for example:
Incorrect # of data elements, 9, in segment DSP.
Required data element, DSP16, was not supplied
This error is telling the user they have the wrong number of data elements in the DSP (Dispensing Record Segment) in addition, it is telling them they are missing DSP16 that is a required field.
Part 4: The fourth part is informational, for example:
Error occurred in submission: 3394979, DSP section #1 of PAT section #1 of PHM section #1
The Transaction Control Number listed above is 3394979. Errors occurred in: The Segment (DSP), the Patient Section number (1st patient), and the Pharmacy Section (1st pharmacy segment).
Part 5: The fifth part refers submitter to the ASAP manual for guidance:
Please refer the ASAP Version 4.0 Implementation Guide to resolve this problem.
Part 6: Part six informs the submitter that the submission was not accepted:
There were fatal errors: This submission is not accepted!
Q: I keep getting errors concerning my Transaction Header Segment (TH). What does a correctly formatted Transaction Header look like?
A: An example of a correctly formatted Transaction Header Segment is listed on page 10 of the Version 4.0 ASAP manual. Below are two examples—one of a production transmission and the other of a test submission, respectfully.
TH*4.0*AS9999999*01**20081205*103952*P*:\ (using * as the data segment terminator)
TH~4.0~112108~01~~20081121~154105~T~:\ (using ~ as the data segment terminator)
I am getting errors concerning an incorrect number of fields in my TH, IS, PHA, PAT, DSP, PRE, CDI, AIR, TP or TT Segment (TH). What does this mean?
A: The type of file is a delimited file using the data segment terminator specified in the Transaction Header. You must refer to the list of required fields provided by Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement to determine the correct number of data field delimiters needed for each segment. Please note: A data segment terminator is needed after each segment identifier such as TH* (the * is needed to denote the end of the segment identifier).
Q: How is 'quantity dispensed' reported? [DSP09, DSP11 and CDI04]
A: To report that '2.5 grams' was dispensed, submit: 2.5 To report liters and milligrams, adjust to the decimal equivalent—see DSP 11on page 18 in the ASAP Version 4 manual.
'Quantity dispensed' should not be rounded to the next highest whole number. Pharmacies must report the actual amount of controlled substance dispensed.
Important Note: The information contained in this document is intended to serve as a guide to pharmacies and software vendors for the submission of controlled substance prescription information. All submissions of prescription information must comply with requirements of Article 33 of the Public Health Law and Title 10, Part 80 of New York State Regulations.
