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LOINC Code 68524-8: How many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons

68524-8 is a LOINC code used to identify How many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons in laboratory and clinical observation data. You may see this code in lab systems, lab reports, EHR exports, interoperability feeds, or other structured clinical data exchanges. LOINC codes identify tests, measurements, observations, survey items, and clinical questions in a standardized way. It is associated with the component How many times in the past Y have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons. It is commonly used with the system or sample type ^Patient.

Reviewed by HealthAssure Clinical TeamUpdated 21 May 2026

What is this code?

LOINC codes identify tests, measurements, observations, survey items, and clinical questions in a standardized way. It is associated with the component How many times in the past Y have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons. It is commonly used with the system or sample type ^Patient.

When is it used?

  • Used in lab systems, EHRs, and clinical data exchange.
  • May identify a test, observation, survey item, or clinical document request rather than a diagnosis.
  • Status: ACTIVE

What it does not mean

  • The code identifies the observation or test, not the actual result.

Key facts

  • How many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons
  • How many times in the past Y have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons
  • Count/time; Drugs; H+P; H+P.HX; Last; nRate; Number rate; Number Rate = Count/Time; P prime; QNT; Quan; Quant; Quantitative; Rx; Trouble with police freq; Used illegal drug for non-medical reasons past Y

Where you may see this code

You may see this code in lab systems, lab reports, EHR exports, interoperability feeds, or other structured clinical data exchanges.

Common synonyms

How many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasonsIllegal drug non-med reason past Y nRateHow many times in the past Y have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasonsH&P.HXNRat1Y^Patient

Frequently asked questions

Code details

Code68524-8
SystemLOINC
Display nameHow many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons
DescriptionHow many times in the past Y have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons
Short nameIllegal drug non-med reason past Y nRate
ComponentHow many times in the past Y have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons
PropertyNRat
Timing1Y
System (specimen)^Patient
ScaleQn
ClassH&P.HX
Example units#/a
StatusACTIVE

Flags

BillableNo
Valid clinical useNo

Source

SourceLOINC
Version2.82
Releasemain
First released2.38
Last changed2.69

Part names

How many times in the past Y have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasonsNRat1Y^PatientQnHow many times in the past year have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasonsNumber Rate1 year

About this content

This page is prepared by HealthAssure's clinical team using official coding standards from LOINC. AI tools assist with drafting explanations, which are then reviewed and verified by healthcare professionals for accuracy. This content is for informational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice. Meet our team.