NABP		National Associations of Boards of Pharmacy (US).
NAMES		National Association for Medical Equipment Services (US).
National Academy of Sciences		National Academy of Sciences.
NAHC		National Association for Home Care.
NAHAM		National Association of Healthcare Access Managers.
National Formulary		A reference volume published formerly by the American Pharmaceutical Association containing standards of purity and methods of assay for some drugs, and formulae and methods of manufacture for a variety of pharmaceutical preparations. Drugs were included on the basis of demand as well as therapeutic value. The National Formulary and the USP are now published as a single volume (USP-NF) that is recognized by the FDA as an official standards and is enforceable by it.
NCI		National Cancer Institute (US).
NCPA		The (US) National Community Pharmacists Association.
NCQA		The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an independent non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. The NCQA has worked with consumers, health care purchasers, state regulators and the managed care industry in developing standards that evaluate the structure and function of medical and quality management systems in managed care organizations. NCQA's Standards for Accreditation of Managed Care Organizations evaluate a managed care plan's performance in the areas of quality management and improvement, utilization management, credentialing, members' rights and responsibilities, preventive health services, and medical record-keeping. Employers increasingly demand that the health plans they offer their employees hold NCQA accreditation.
NCVHS		The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. The Public Advisory Body to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
NDA		Non-Disclosure Agreement.
NDC		National Drug Code (US). A number that is used to identify drugs. An NDC is encoded with the manufacturer ID and sequence number allocated to a manufacturer as new drugs are produced by that manufacturer. The NDC is considered a standard identifier when referencing a drug. The NDC is composed of three embedded data elements: • The product’s labeler • The product • The package size These grouping can be arranged in different formats, as indicated by the NDC Format Indicator.
NDC Format Indicator		FDB maintains four different types of Identifying Codes in the NDDF Master File. Multiple identifying codes may be present for a product. In this case, they are assigned in the following order, Type Description NDC National Drug Code HRI Health Related Item UPC Universal Product Code PIN Product Identification Number The NDC Format Indicator code identifies both the type and the format of the code, Format Indicator Type Original NDDF 0 PIN 11 011 1 NDC 4-4-2 04-4-2 2 NDC 5-3-2 5-03-2 3 NDC 5-4-1 5-4-01 4 UPC 5-5 5-03-2 5 UPC 5-5 5-4-01 6 UPC 5-5 5-4-10 7 HRI 4-4-2 04-4-2 Note that HBA (Health and Beauty Aids) codes map to Format Types PIN (Format ID 0) or UPC (Format ID 4, 5, or 6).
NDDF		FDB’s NDDF (National Drug Data File) is based in the National Drug Code (NDC) coding scheme. For each item, the NDDF shows   Labeler (i.e., manufacturer or repackager)   Package size   Wholesale price   Generic formulation   FDA generic equivalency ratings (i.e., Orange Book)   Therapeutic class
NEI		National Employer Identifier.
NEMA		The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) publishes specifications for medical devices. In conjunction with American College of Radiology, it publishes specifications for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM).
New Requisitions		A supply requisition that has not been printed nor sent to the vendor. See also closed requisitions.
NF		See National Formulary.
NFP		See Not-for-profit.
NHO		National Hospice Organization (US).
NICU		Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (see ICU).
NIH		National Institutes of Health (US).
NINDS		National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (US).
NKF		National Kidney Foundation (US).
NLM		The US National Library of Medicine.
NME		National Medical Enterprises. Founded in 1969 by three attorneys, the company quickly went public and acquired many new hospitals and health care facilities. In 1992, NME was raided by federal agents on suspicion of insurance fraud, based on allegations by insurance companies, and the company paid more than $370 million in fines for various charges, including the abuse of psychiatric patients. In 1995 the company changed its name to Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC). [Source: military.com] There’s an interesting timeline of its development at http://www.ect.org/tenet/.
NMR		Nuclear-Magnetic Resonance. The original name for MRI technology. The term NMR fell out of favor because activists got confused by the presence of “Nuclear” in the moniker and picketted NMR manufacturers: “Stop the nukes!” If you are still refer to “the NMR,” you're dating yourself.
NOK		Next Of Kin.
Non-Personal Individual Information		It does not include any information that would meet the definition of personal information (below), but may include information about a specific individual's characteristics, preferences, interests, experiences, and activities disclosed by the individual to the health web site or obtained through the individual's use of the health web site. [Source: Hi-Ethics Coalition]
Non-Stock Item		Items shipped from vendors to points of use. These items are not stored in central supply nor general stores. They may, however, be set up in the materiel system item databases as a “known,” predefined item. See Official Inventory, Unofficial Inventory, Non-System Item.
Non-System Item		Items that are not only non-stock , but are ordered as if “from scratch” with each order (e.g., item number, its description, price, etc., are entered manually). Most non-stock items are also “non-system”. See Official Inventory, Unofficial Inventory, Non-Stock Item.
Not-for-profit		The Class of Trade for not-for-profit healthcare institutions.
NPI		National Provider Identifier.
NPRM		Notice of Proposed Rule Making. The first step in the rule making process followed by (US) national agencies.
NSAID		Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflamatory Drugs.
Nursing Titles		There are many different “flavors” of nurses, each credentialed to perform certain tasks. Some of these are, • CNM — Certified Nurse Midwife • LPN — Licensed Practical Nurse • LVN — Licensed Vocational Nurse • RN — Registered Nurse
NWDA		National Wholesale Druggists’ Association (US).