Date of fill (DOF)
Date of fill (DOF) is the date a pharmacy dispenses a prescription to the patient, recorded on the claim. It anchors days-supply calculations, refill timing, adherence metrics, and pharmacy benefit adjudication for the dispensed medication.
What is the date of fill (DOF)?
Date of fill (DOF) is the date on which a pharmacy actually dispenses a prescription to the patient, and it is recorded on the resulting pharmacy claim. It marks the moment the medication changes hands rather than the date the prescription was written or ordered.
As a recorded data point, the DOF becomes an anchor for a range of downstream calculations tied to the specific dispensing event. It is a routine but foundational field in pharmacy claims data.
Why does the date of fill matter?
The DOF anchors days-supply calculations and refill timing, which in turn underpin adherence metrics that gauge whether patients are taking medications as prescribed. Comparing fill dates across refills reveals gaps or delays in therapy.
It also plays a role in pharmacy benefit adjudication, where timing rules determine whether a refill is eligible for payment. Because so many adherence and benefit calculations depend on it, an accurate date of fill is essential to interpreting pharmacy data correctly.
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