> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decodahealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Medications
> Track medications your clinic dispenses, including dosages, pricing, and inventory levels by location.
**Prerequisite:** Medications share the category system with [Services](/modules/settings/services) and [Products](/modules/settings/products), so having categories configured first helps with organization. Inventory tracking is configured per medication on the **Inventory** section of the medication drawer.
Keep your medication catalog organized with pricing, dosing defaults, and inventory tracking. When a provider administers a medication, the system can auto-fill dose details from your templates — saving time during patient encounters.
Medications represent the drugs and compounds your clinic dispenses or administers to patients. Each medication has its own pricing, unit of measurement, category, inventory tracking, and optional template defaults for dosing. Medications are distinct from [Products](/modules/settings/products) (retail items) and [Services](/modules/settings/services) (appointment treatments).
## Create a New Medication
All medications are created from a single entry point on the **Medications** page. Creating a medication requires the **Manage Inventory** permission -- staff without it can still view and administer medications, but the **Add New Medication** button is hidden.
Go to **Settings** and select **Medications**.
Click the **Add New Medication** button in the top right corner. A drawer opens with four sections: Core Information, Template Settings, Billing Codes, and Inventory.
Enter the medication details:
* **Name** (required): The medication name as it appears in clinical records and billing (e.g., "Semaglutide").
* **Unit** (required): How the medication is measured (e.g., Milliliters, Units, Milligrams). An AI generator can suggest the appropriate unit.
* **Price** (required): The amount charged to patients per unit when this medication is administered. Must be zero or greater.
* **Cost:** Internal cost to your clinic for profit margin tracking. Not shown to patients. A warning appears if cost exceeds price.
* **Category:** Assign a category for organization. Select an existing category or create one inline.
* **Brand Name:** The manufacturer or brand. An AI generator can suggest a brand name.
* **Description:** Additional details about the medication. Use the AI generator to draft this automatically.
* **Internal Notes:** Private notes about this medication, only visible to staff.
* **Sort Order:** Controls where this medication appears in lists. Lower numbers appear first. Leave empty for default ordering.
* **Custom Pricing:** Check to allow staff to modify the price during checkout.
* **Show in Checkout:** Controls whether this medication appears in the checkout product search and today's items list. Enabled by default. Turn this off for medications you want to keep in your catalog but not offer during checkout.
In the **Template Settings** section, check **Use as default template** to set this medication as a dosing template. When enabled, additional fields appear:
* **Amount:** Default dose amount (e.g., 0.5).
* **Quantity:** Default quantity administered per session (e.g., 1).
* **Administration Location:** Where on the body the medication is administered (e.g., "Subcutaneous injection").
* **Frequency:** How often the medication is given (e.g., "Weekly", "Daily").
* **Lot Number:** Default lot number if applicable.
* **Instructions/Notes:** Default instructions or notes for the administering provider.
These values are automatically pre-filled when a provider administers this medication, saving time during patient encounters.
In the **Billing Codes** section, set a default **CPT / HCPCS** code, comma-separated **modifiers**, and **ICD-10** diagnosis codes for the medication. These pre-fill on a patient's [Super Bill](/modules/billing/superbills) when the medication is included.
In the **Inventory** section, connect this medication to stock records. This enables automatic inventory tracking when the medication is administered. You can link existing stock items or create new ones directly from the medication drawer.
When linking stock, turn on **Multiply by dose** for vial-style medications where each administration draws a variable amount from a shared vial (for example, semaglutide). With **Multiply by dose** on, each administration deducts *dose × quantity used* from stock — so a 0.5 mL dose administered twice deducts 1 mL. Leave it off for medications where each administration deducts a fixed **Quantity Used** regardless of dose.
Click **Create Medication** at the bottom of the drawer. The medication is immediately available for administration and billing.
Medication names are unique per unit type. You cannot create two medications with the same name and unit (case-insensitive). This prevents duplicate entries and ensures accurate inventory tracking.
## Medication Table
The medication table displays all your medications with the following columns:
* **Medication:** Name and ID.
* **Brand:** The manufacturer or brand name.
* **Unit:** The unit of measurement (e.g., Milliliters, Units).
* **Price:** The sale price per unit.
* **Inventory:** Linked stock items with per-location quantities.
* **Category:** The assigned category.
* **Template:** A green **Template** badge indicates this medication is configured as a dosing template.
### Filter and Sort Medications
Use the filter bar above the table to narrow results:
* **Name:** Free-text search across medication name, brand, and category.
* **Brand:** Multi-select filter by brand name, including a "No Brand" option.
* **Category:** Multi-select filter by category, including a "No Category" option.
Click any sortable column header to sort ascending or descending. Sortable columns: Medication, Brand, Price, and Category.
## Edit a Medication
Click on any medication row, or click the settings icon (three dots) and select **Edit Medication**. The same drawer opens with the medication's current values pre-filled. Make your changes and click **Update Medication**.
## Template Medications
A medication marked as a template provides default dosing values that auto-populate when a provider administers it to a patient. This is useful for standardizing protocols across your clinic.
Template defaults include:
* **Amount and Quantity:** Pre-filled dose amounts reduce manual entry during patient encounters.
* **Administration Location:** Standard injection sites or routes are automatically selected.
* **Frequency:** Default scheduling for recurring administrations.
* **Lot Number:** If the same lot is in use, it carries forward automatically.
* **Instructions/Notes:** Standard care instructions for the patient.
Templates appear with a green **Template** badge in the medication table for easy identification.
Because the same medication name can exist under more than one unit (for example "Protonix 40 mg" saved as both Tablets and Bottles), the medication list shows one entry per name. When a name has several versions, the one marked as a template is the version used — so its dosing defaults are the ones that pre-fill when a provider administers it. If your defaults aren't filling in, open **Settings > Medications**, find that medication, and confirm the template is set on the version you want staff to use.
## Bulk Edit Medications
To update settings across multiple medications at once:
1. Select the checkboxes next to the medications you want to edit. Use the header checkbox to select all visible medications.
2. A bulk actions bar appears at the bottom of the screen showing the number of selected items.
3. Click **Edit** to open the bulk edit drawer with three tabs:
* **Pricing:** Update price, cost, unit of measurement, or toggle custom pricing for all selected medications.
* **Settings:** Change category or sort order for all selected medications.
* **Tags:** Apply or remove tags. Click an existing tag to apply it to every selected medication, or type a name into **Create new tag…** and press **Enter** to make a new one. Tags are shared across medications, products, services, and memberships.
4. Only fields you modify are applied. Unchanged fields keep their current values.
5. Click **Update Medications** to apply changes to all selected medications simultaneously.
If you select a single medication and click **Edit**, the individual medication drawer opens instead of the bulk editor.
## Archive Medications
To discontinue a medication without losing historical data:
* **Single medication:** Click the settings icon on the medication row and select **Archive Medication**. Confirm when prompted. The medication is hidden from the system but all historical administration records, billing data, and dose logs are preserved.
* **Bulk archive:** Select multiple medications using checkboxes, then click **Archive** in the bulk actions bar. Confirm when prompted.
## Merge Medications
If the same medication was entered more than once, merge the duplicates into a single record so dose logs and billing history stay together.
Check the medications you want to combine, then click **Merge** in the bulk actions bar. You can also start a merge from the menu on a single medication's row.
Pick the medication to keep. The others are merged into it, and any blank fields on the kept medication are filled in from the merged ones.
Click **Confirm merge**. The duplicates are removed and their history moves to the kept medication.
## Tax Exemptions
By default, medications are taxed according to each tax rule's scope. When editing a medication, the **Tax Exemptions** section lists all taxes that could apply to medications (those scoped to **All items**, **Medications only**, or **Specific categories**). Check a tax to exempt this medication from it. Taxes are grouped by location.
Manage tax rules under [Payment Management](/modules/settings/payment-management).
## Advanced Configuration
Several fields in the medication drawer support AI generation. When you enter a medication name, sparkle icons appear next to compatible fields (Brand Name, Description, Unit). Click the icon to have the AI suggest a value based on the medication name and context. You can accept, edit, or discard the suggestion.
Decoda distinguishes three types of billable items:
* **Medications:** Drugs and compounds administered or dispensed during patient care.
* **Products:** Physical retail items sold to patients (skincare, supplements, devices). Configured under [Settings > Products](/modules/settings/products).
* **Services:** Appointment-based treatments and procedures. Configured under [Settings > Services](/modules/settings/services).
All three share the same category system and can be linked to inventory for stock tracking.
* **View Inventory** -- Required to view the Medications page and medication details.
* **Manage Inventory** -- Required to create, edit, bulk edit, link inventory, and archive medications.
* **Change Dose Provider** -- Allows changing the administering provider on a medication dose record after it has been created.
* **Sign off medications** -- Allows signing off on administered doses. Providers with this permission can formally approve dose records. Doses created by providers with this permission are automatically signed off on creation. Providers without it can still record doses, but the doses remain unsigned until an authorized provider signs off.
Admin users have full access to all medication settings by default.
When a medication is linked to stock, the system can track inventory levels per location. The medication table's **Inventory** column shows real-time quantities broken down by clinic location. Low stock warnings help you reorder before running out. Stock operations (linking, quantity adjustments) are performed within the medication drawer's Inventory section.