The FDA’s adoption of a standardized 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC) format represents one of the most significant healthcare data standardization efforts in decades. Although implementation begins in 2033, organizations across the healthcare ecosystem must begin planning years in advance because NDCs are embedded in prescribing, dispensing, billing, inventory management, safety reporting, and regulatory compliance. This session will provide pharmacists with an overview of the upcoming transition, explain why coordination across healthcare sectors is essential, and introduce the role of the NDC Coordination and Implementation Forum (NDC Forum) in supporting implementation readiness.

Background

The National Drug Code serves as the primary identifier for medications throughout the healthcare system and is integrated into virtually every pharmacy workflow, including purchasing, inventory management, dispensing, claims processing, clinical decision support, electronic prescribing, and adverse event reporting. Because the existing 10-digit numbering system is approaching exhaustion, the FDA has established a single standardized 12-digit format for newly assigned NDCs beginning in 2033. During the transition, healthcare organizations will need to support multiple NDC formats simultaneously, requiring extensive modifications to pharmacy systems, workflows, and data exchanges.

The transition extends well beyond pharmacy software updates. Manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, health systems, providers, payers, pharmacy benefit managers, health IT vendors, standards development organizations, and government agencies all depend on NDC data. Success therefore requires coordinated planning, shared implementation timelines, testing strategies, regulatory guidance, and consistent communication across sectors. Without alignment, organizations risk duplicated effort, increased implementation costs, workflow disruptions, reimbursement challenges, and potential impacts on patient safety.

To address these challenges, the NDC Forum was established as a collaborative initiative to facilitate education, identify implementation dependencies, coordinate testing activities, share best practices, and provide a centralized venue for cross-sector collaboration and engagement throughout implementation.

Presenter

Kim Boyd is a principal with Leavitt Partners’ Digital Health team, based in the Washington, D.C. office and residing in Nashville, Tennessee. She brings more than two decades of health care policy, advocacy, and innovation expertise leading complex multi‑stakeholder initiatives and guiding organizations through health technology and regulatory change. Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, she served as President of Boyd Consulting Group and held executive positions at McKesson/CoverMyMeds and NCPDP, where she drove transformative change in health care technology adoption and standards development.

A recognized thought leader in health care interoperability and pharmacy practice transformation, Kim leads CARIN Alliance initiatives to advance FHIR-based consumer real-time prescription benefit check (RTPB) capabilities and next-generation digital identity frameworks that support consumer access, trust, and transparency. Her work builds on a long track record of shaping national standards, including her pivotal role in accelerating electronic prior authorization (ePA) adoption nationwide and spearheading federal regulatory efforts that contributed to the inclusion of ePA in the SUPPORT Act of 2018.

Kim’s expertise spans HL7 FHIR implementation, NCPDP standards development, digital identity and authentication strategy, value-based care models, pharmacy practice transformation, and legislative and regulatory policy. She has a demonstrated ability to build strategic partnerships across state and federal agencies, health plans, health systems, pharmacy organizations, and standards development bodies. She is a frequent industry speaker and has authored numerous articles focused on health care technology, interoperability, and policy modernization.

Kim serves on the NCPDP Board of Trustees and chairs its Strategic Planning Committee. She is also actively engaged in HIMSS and multi-stakeholder interoperability collaboratives. Her deep standards background is complemented by her NCPDP SCRIPT certification. Kim’s foundation in policy analysis and regulatory operations began during her service in the U.S. Air Force as a Paralegal and Court Reporter.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the FDA’s transition to a standardized 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC) format and explain its anticipated impact on pharmacy operations.
2. Identify the operational, clinical, reimbursement, and technology challenges pharmacists and pharmacy organizations should prepare for during the transition period.
3. Discuss how cross-sector collaboration and coordinated implementation strategies can reduce risk, improve readiness, and support successful adoption of the new NDC format.

Registration

Register

Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) Credit The California Pharmacists Association (#0113) is approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Upon completing an evaluation form, participants will be awarded 1.0 hour (0.10 CEUs) of Continuing Pharmacy Education Credit. A statement of credit will not be issued. Participants may log onto the CPE monitor website using their individual log in to download their statement of credit. Please allow 4 weeks for processing of CPE credits to the CPE monitor. ACPE UAN# 0113-0000-26-031-L03-P . Release date: 9/15/2026 Expiration date: 9/15/2029.