A practical checklist to help your organization prepare for the 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC-12).
Start your NDC-12 planning with a clear picture of what needs to change, who owns the work, and where coordination is essential. Use this checklist to guide internal discussions, identify gaps, and prioritize next steps.
Your NDC-12 Readiness Checklist
Budget for NDC planning. Ensure budget availability to support critical assessment and planning steps for 2027 to stay on track.
Establish ownership and team structure. Confirm an accountable executive sponsor and a cross-functional working team.
Assess your systems and workflows. Identify where NDCs are stored, exchanged, or used across systems, and understand whether the NDC identifies the product or serves as regulatory metadata.
Engage your vendors. Ask about implementation assumptions, planned updates, timelines, and testing support.
Map external dependencies. Identify trading partners, shared systems, and unresolved decisions that could affect your transition.
Track risks and next steps. Assign owners, document open questions, and establish a regular process for reviewing progress.
From Readiness Checklist to Implementation Roadmap
The checklist is your starting point. The next phase is the roadmap—translating your findings into coordinated activities, milestones, and testing priorities.
NDC Forum members have the opportunity to help shape the roadmap, bringing practical implementation needs and cross-sector dependencies into the conversation.