The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) and ValueCentric announced the introduction of a new certification program for third-party solution providers to exchange data with Origin on behalf of their manufacturer and distributor clients using an Application Programming Interface (API).
Adents, a provider of serialization and track-and-trace offerings, is the first provider that has entered to meet the certification.
“The launch of the API represents another step forward toward our goal of facilitating—and simplifying—the exchange of DSCSA-related master data between supply chain partners,” says Perry Fri, HDA’s Executive Vice President of Industry Relations, Membership and Education. “With this certification, solution providers will be able to provide their clients’ most accurate, up-to-date GTINs directly into the Origin service to share with many trading partners, in one place and at one time.”
Origin certification is a clearly defined process; candidates connect to the User Acceptance Testing environment and are asked to demonstrate the ability to properly engage and exchange data through the API. The process tests the candidate’s ability to both upload and download data through the API and validates the ability to interface with Origin on behalf of multiple clients.
In addition to testing steady-state master data management, certification testing introduces a number of controlled exceptions designed to ensure that partnering solution providers’ systems have a way to deal with every possible error condition. Testing ensures that service providers can seamlessly connect with Origin and limit data exchange errors. Origin will recognize companies that have been certified through the program.
The same API and testing environment can also be used directly by manufacturers and distributors wishing to establish their own connection to Origin via the API.
“Accurate, unambiguous product master data is key when it comes to successful data transactions and operations with serialized products. Given the approaching regulatory deadlines, we understand the urgency and need for HDA’s initiative to establish a product data source system such as Origin,” says Adents CEO Christophe Devins.
Accepting subscriptions since September 2017, HDA’s Origin is a source of GTIN reference data for the pharmaceutical industry. Besides serving as a master file database of all GTINs, Origin provides a service component and communications hub to engage and resolve any GTIN/product data mismatches encountered in the field, quickly and efficiently.
HDA represents primary pharmaceutical distributors—the vital link between the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers and more than 200,000 pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and others nationwide.
ValueCentric provides channel data management and analytic solutions for the healthcare industry. Its mission is to help customers leverage their channel data to improve business decisions, reduce costs, and increase the speed in which products reach patients in need.
