Drug Benefit List

Search Steps and Tips

Printable DBL and Related Publications - Search Steps and Tips

Search steps and tips

Follow these simple steps to confirm if a specific drug is included in the DBL publications.

How to search Adobe Acrobat documents

DBL Publications

  1. To search a DBL publication, first click on the PDF document you wish to search (i.e. Refreshed DBL). Then, using the binocular search icon (see below), type in the name of the product or word you are looking for to initiate a search. To find all listings of the same product, click the "Find again " icon (see below) until the entire document has been searched.
  2. If you know the specific product name or DIN, search the "Refreshed" for all occurrences of the product to confirm the details of coverage. Remember to use "Find again" until all listings have been found.
  3. If the "Refreshed" version does not appear in the listing, please refer to the publications that are effective April 1st for all occurences.
  4. If you do not wish to search the entire listing, you can narrow your search to the appropriate part of the ADBL by first finding out where the product is listed. Do this by searching the Alphabetical List of Pharmaceutical Products PDF or Numerical List by Drug Identification Number PDF.
    If a page number is indicated in the Alphabetical List of Pharmaceutical Products, or if you know the actual PTC classification of the product, go to the Listing of Benefits by PTC PDF.
    If a section number is indicated as part of the page number go to the appropriate section. For example, 3.2 refers to Section 3 page 2.
  5. To confirm the spelling of the product, search the Alphabetical List of Pharmaceutical Products PDF. Do not use this list to confirm coverage—search the ADBL as instructed above.
  6. If you do not locate the product you are looking for check the online version of the DBL publications at www.health.alberta.ca/services/drug-benefit-list.html. If you still cannot find the product listed, it is most likely not included as an eligible benefit. If you have any further questions, please check the Frequently asked questions or contact us.

Drug Benefit Supplement (DBS)
Prescription drug benefits for those covered under Alberta Human Services programs are found by searching both the Alberta Human Services Drug Benefit Supplement (HSDBS) and the ADBL.

How to search

Using Adobe Acrobat PDF (Portable Document Format) documents
The DBL publications have been saved in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF), meaning that it has many built-in features.

Searching: Click on the binoculars in the menu bar at the top of the PDF screen to activate the search function.
Search bar

This will bring up the following dialogue box:
Search dialogue

Type in the word you are searching for:
Search found

The search results will be displayed as hyperlinks. Simply click on the first blue hyperlink and you will be taken to the page where the text appears. If this is not the correct reference you are looking for, click on the next hyperlink.


Toolbar tools

Enlarging the page image: Unlike other web pages, PDF pages can be enlarged on your monitor for better viewing. The top menu bar on PDF pages contains two different symbols which can be selected to change viewing magnification. One of these is the "zoom in tool," which looks like a magnifying glass and can be used either to click in the area you wish to enlarge, or to drag an enlarging rectangle. The other symbols represent three different page views, from left to right: "actual size,""fit in window," or "fit width."

At the bottom of the screen you can navigate through the pages of the PDF by clicking the arrows.
Page navigation

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NOTICE:
The DBL, DBS and related publications require knowledgeable interpretation and are intended primarily for professional health care practitioners, pharmacies, hospitals and organizations associated with the manufacture, distribution and use of pharmaceutical preparations.

Electronic versions of all DBL and DBS related publications are unofficial versions and are provided for convenience and private use only. Official paper versions can be obtained from Alberta Blue Cross who publishes them on behalf of Alberta Health and Alberta Human Services.

Alberta Health reserves the right to make changes, without notice, to the List through the Interactive DBL (iDBL), and any such changes to the Interactive DBL (iDBL)are effective the date of the change (unless otherwise stated) and regardless of the date of publication in the paper version or updates.