Glossary
Terms used consistently across the standards.
These are the terms that recur across the ScriptClear standards, guides and certification pages. Definitions here are operational — describing how the term is used in a review context — not restatements of legal definitions in any specific jurisdiction.
- Format
- Reference material
- Updated
- Reviewed quarterly
- Purpose
- Practical operator guidance
- Written by
- The ScriptClear standards team
- Not legal advice
- Informational only
- Updated
- Reviewed quarterly
On this page
What this page covers
- 01Care delivery termsTerms describing how care is delivered.
- 02Review and findings termsTerms describing how a review is conducted and scored.
- 03Certification lifecycle termsTerms describing certification status over time.
- 04Commercial and structural termsTerms describing money flow and business structure, described neutrally.
Care delivery terms
Terms describing how care is delivered.
- Asynchronous care — Clinical interaction where the patient and provider do not communicate in real time, typically via questionnaire and follow-up messaging rather than live video or phone.
- Synchronous care — Clinical interaction occurring in real time, such as a live video or phone visit.
- Standing order — A pre-approved clinical protocol authorizing certain staff to act without individualized provider review of each case, subject to defined conditions.
- Delegation — The formal authorization by a supervising licensed provider for another individual to perform a specific procedure or task within defined limits.
- Supervision — The oversight relationship a supervising provider maintains over delegated care, which may be on-site, by protocol, or by remote availability depending on jurisdiction and procedure.
- Scope of practice — The set of procedures and clinical decisions a given license type is legally permitted to perform.
Review and findings terms
Terms describing how a review is conducted and scored.
- Scope of certification — The specific workflows, entities and jurisdictions a certification decision actually covers; it does not extend to anything outside this stated boundary.
- Finding — A documented gap between what is stated by the business and what is evidenced, produced during review.
- Finding severity — The classification assigned to a finding: observation, minor, major or critical, each carrying different resolution expectations.
- Corrective action — The specific remediation step required to close a finding, tracked to completion with evidence attached.
- Material change — A change to a certified organization's operations significant enough that it could affect the original certification decision, requiring disclosure and possible re-review.
- Evidence reporting — The structured submission of documentation, screenshots and records used to support or contest a finding.
- Reviewer validation — The step where a qualified human reviewer confirms, reclassifies or dismisses an automated candidate finding.
Certification lifecycle terms
Terms describing certification status over time.
- Suspension — A temporary loss of active certification status pending resolution of a specific issue, distinct from revocation.
- Revocation — The permanent withdrawal of a certification, typically following unresolved critical findings or a suspension that was not cured.
- Renewal — The periodic re-review required to maintain active certification status.
- Appeal — A formal request to reconsider a specific finding or decision, evaluated by parties independent of the original reviewer.
- Continuous monitoring — Ongoing review activity between formal renewal cycles intended to catch material changes as they occur rather than only at renewal.
Commercial and structural terms
Terms describing money flow and business structure, described neutrally.
- Funds flow — The path payment takes from patient to the business and any downstream parties (e.g. providers, pharmacies), reviewed for transparency and disclosure.
- PBM (pharmacy benefit manager) — A third party that administers prescription drug benefits on behalf of a payer; referenced where a business's funds flow or claims involve one.
- 503A compounding — Pharmacy-based compounding of a medication for an individual patient pursuant to a specific prescription, described here neutrally as a category reviewers may encounter, not as a determination of any pharmacy's compliance.
- 503B compounding — Facility-based compounding performed by an outsourcing facility registered with the FDA, generally at larger scale than 503A compounding, described here neutrally as a category reviewers may encounter.
- Conflict of interest — A relationship or incentive that could compromise the independence of a certification decision, subject to declaration and recusal under the governance standard.
FAQ
Questions we hear often
- Are these legal definitions?
- No. These describe how each term is used operationally within the ScriptClear standards and review process, not a restatement of any statute or regulation.
- Will more terms be added?
- Yes, as the standards and guides expand to cover new workflows and industries.
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