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Study Guide: A Simple Guide To Medical Billing / Coding Acronyms
Source: https://www.fatskills.com/medical-billing/chapter/a-simple-guide-to-medical-billing-coding-acronyms

A Simple Guide To Medical Billing / Coding Acronyms

By Fatskills Exam Guides Team — the exam nerds behind 28,500+ quizzes and 2.1M practice questions across 500+ global exams.

⏱️ ~7 min read

Acct.
Account

A/P
ACCOUNT Payable

A/R
Account Receivable

AMA
American Medical Association

ADJ
Adjustment

ABN
Advanced Beneficiary Notice

AHIMA
American Health Information Management Association

AEVS
Automated Eligibility Verification System (health coverage information)

AVRS
Automated Voice Response System

ALOS
Average Length Of Stay

AUTH
Authorization

BR
Breast

BC
Body Composition , Blood Cells , Birth Control

BS
Blood Glucose, Bowel Sounds

BC/BS
Blue Cross/Blue Shield

CC
Chief Complaint

C/C
Credit Card

CAL-MAX
Calendar Max

CERT
Claims Eligible Real Time System, Community Emergency Response Team

CSP
Community Support Program , Compulsive Skin Picking

CFL
Calcaneofibular Ligament

CHIP
Child Health Insurance Program , Catastrophic Health Care Program

CHAMPUS
Civilian Health & Medical Programs of the Uniformed Services
(Now TRI-CARE)

CHAMPVA
Civilian Health & Medical Program of the Veterans Administration

CMS 1500
Medical claim form established by CMS to submit paper claims to Medicare and Medicaid. Most commercial insurance carriers also require paper claims be submitted on CMS-1500's. The form is distinguished by it's red ink.

CO-PAY
Co-Payment

CO-INS
CO-Insurance

COBRA
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (of 1985)

COB
Coordination of Benefits COB Coordination of Benefit

COBC
Coordination of Benefits Contractor

CPT
Current Procedural Terminology

CCS
Community Care Setting , Cardiovascular Society , Child Care Services, Corticosteroids

CPC
Certified Professional Coder

Cont. Obj.
Contractual Obligation

DED
Date of expected delivery

DOS
Date of Service , Date of Surgery

DL
Drivers License , Dose Level

DRG
Diagnosis Related Groups , Diagnostic Related Group
(patients with similar illness)

DOI
Died Of Injuries

DOB
Date of Birth

DDE
Direct Data Entry

DME
Durable Medical Equipment
(Medical supplies such as wheelchairs, oxygen, catheter, glucose monitors, crutches, walkers, etc.)

DED
Death Effect or Domain

DEERS
Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DOD, CHAMPUS)

DX
Diagnosis

Dr.
Doctor

ECS
Extended Care Services , Electronic Certification System

EDC
Estimated Date Of Confinement

EFT
Electronic Funds Transfer

EMC
Electronic Media Claim

EMR
Electronic Medical Record System , Emergency Room

ERA
Electronic Remittance Advice. This is an electronic version of an insurance EOB that provides details of insurance claim payments. These are formatted in according to the HIPAA X12N 835 standard.

ERN
Electronic Remittance Notice

ER
Emergency Rooms , Extended Release

EMG
Electromyogram , Electromyographic

E/M
Evaluation & Management

EIN
Employer Identification Number

ESRD
End Stage Renal Disease

EOB
- Explanation of Benefits. One of the medical billing terms for the statement that comes with the insurance company payment to the provider explaining payment details, covered charges, write offs, and patient responsibilities and deductibles.

EOMB
Executive Office of Management & Budget General EOMB Explanation of Medical Benefits

EDI
Electronic Data Interchange

EHR
Electronic Health Record EHR Embryonic Heart Rate

EPO
Exclusive Provider Organization

EPF
Early pregnancy factor

FECA
Federal Employee Compensation Act

FH
Family History

FPL
Federal Poverty Level

FFS
Fee for Service

FI
Fiscal Intermediary- A Medicare representative who processes Medicare claims

FSA
Family Services Administration , Family Support Administration

GRP
Group

HCFA
Health Care Financing Administration (renamed CMS effective July 1, 2001)

HIM
Health Insurance Manual

HPI
History of Present Illness

HC
...Hardcopy Claims

HCPCS
...Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System

HICN
...Health Insurance Claim Number (Medicare Number)

HMO
...Health Maintenance Organization. A type of health care plan that places restrictions on treatments.

HIPPA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 1996. Several federal regulations intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care and establish IPA privacy and security laws for medical records.

IPA
Independent Practice Association , Individual Practice Association

ICD-9-CM
International Classification of Diseases 9th Edition Clinical Modification A system used to assign codes to patient diagnosis. This is a 3 to 5 digit number.

ICD-10-CM
International Classification of Diseases - 10th revision - Clinical Modification Uses 3 to 7 digit. Includes additional digits to allow more available codes. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has set an implementation deadline of October, 2013 for ICD-10.

INS
Insurance

ID
Identification Number

ICF
Intermediate Care Facility

LMP
Last Menstrual Period

LC
Low Complexity

LT
Laboratory test

MCR
Medicare

MCD
Medicaid

MCL
Median Collateral Ligament

MEDI-MEDI
Eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid

M/M
Major Medical , Male/Male

MSA
Medical Savings Accounts ,
Medical Savings Account Major Service Area

MN
Medical Necessity

MN
Medically Needy

MRN
Medical Record Number

MSN
Medicare Summary Notice

MSP
Medicare Secondary Payor

MC
Managed Care

MD
Medical Director MD Mood Disorders

MDM
Medium

MCR
Medicare Cost Report , Management Control Review
Medical Cost Ratio

NON-PAR
Non-Participating When a healthcare provider chooses not to accept Medicare-approved payment amounts as payment in full.

NC
No complaints , No changes, Not Completed , Not Classified

NPI
National Provider Identifier , NPI Number - National Provider Identifier. A unique 10 digit identification number required by HIPAA and assigned through the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). NO PRESENT ILLNESS

NCICS
National Certified Insurance & Coding Specialist

NCCT
National Center for Competency Testing

NP
New Patient

NEC
No essential changes, Not elsewhere classifiable

NOS
Not Otherwise Specified. Used in ICD for unspecified diagnosis.

NUBC
National Uniform Billing Committee (AHA)

NUCC
National Uniform Claim Committee (AMA)

NC
Not Classified Not Completed
No changes No complaints

NOC
Not Otherwise Classified NOC Nocturnal NOC Nursing Outcome Classification

NF
Nursing Facility NF Necrosis Factor NF Newly formed

O/V
Office Visit

OCR
Open Care Records, Outstanding Claims Reserve, Own Credit Risk, Optical Character Recognition

OPPS
Outpatient Prospective Payment System

OR
Operation Room

OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

PAR
Participating Provider, Patient Account Representative, Pain Relief

Pt
Patient

PT
Physical therapist

PRO
Patient Reported Outcome , Peer Review Organization (renamed to QIO)

POS

 

"Point-of-Service plan. Medical billing terminology for a flexible type of HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plan where patients have the freedom to use (or self-refer to) non-HMO network providers. When a non-HMO specialist is seen without referral from the Primary Care Physician (self-referral), they have to pay a higher deductible and a percentage of the coinsurance. "POS
(Used on Claims) - Place of Service. Medical billing terminology used on medical insurance claims - such as the CMS 1500 block 24B. A two digit code which defines where the procedure was performed. For example 11 is for the doctors office, 12 is for home, 21 is for inpatient hospital, etc.

POS
Provider Organizations

POS
Posterior

Pre-Cert
Pre-Certification - Sometimes required by the patients insurance company to determine medical necessity for the services proposed or rendered. This doesn't guarantee the benefits will be paid.

PRE-AUTH
Pre-Authorization certain services and items must be prior authorized

PRE-EX
A pre-existing condition is a medical condition that started before a person's health insurance went into effect. Before 2014 some insurance policies would not cover expenses due to pre-existing conditions.

PPO
Preferred Provider Organization. Commercial insurance plan where the patient can use any doctor or hospital within the network. Similar to an HMO.

PCP
Primary Care Physician (or Provider)

PPS
Prospective Payment System (Medicare Part A)

Phys
Physical (body)

Prov.
Provider

PF
Pulmonary Fibrosis

PD
Physical Database , Personality Disorders

PH
Partial Hospitalization

PH
Physical Health

PH
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

PE
Practice Expense, Physical Examination,
Premature Ejaculation

PX
Physical Examination, prescription,
prognosis, physical history

PA
Physical Activity Physician Assistants
Panic Attacks

PC
Personal Care

PHI
Private Health Insurance
Personal Health Information
Premium Hospital Insurance
Protected Health Information

QMBs
Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries

RA
Risk Assessment , Rheumatoid Arthritis

RBRVS
Resource-based relative value scale Managed Care A 'work unit' used to determine the value of various physicians' labor. See Medicare, Physician reimbursement.

RVS
Relative Value Scale (or Schedule)

RVS
Relative Value Study

RVU
Relative Value Unit

ROS
Review of Systems

RHIA
Registered Health Information Administrator

REP
Representative, Rab Escort Protein, Reperfusion

RT
Right, Recovery Time, Respiratory Therapy, Reverse transcribed, Radiation therapy

RVS
Reverse, Rhus verniciflua Stokes

SF
Short Form
Sugar-Free

SDI
State Disability Insurance
Survey Diagnostic Instrument

SNF
Skilled Nursing Facility

SOC
Start of Care, Standard of Care

SSN
Social Security Number

SSDI
Social Security Disability Insurance

SSI
Supplemental Security Income

SOF
Signature on File ,
Synthetic Oviduct Fluid,

Study of Osteoporotic Fractures

TC
To Contain

Tobacco Control

TIN
Tax Identification Number

TIN
Tax Identification Number. Also known as Employer Identification Number

EIN
TIN Three times a night

TD
to Deliver

TPP
Third Party Processors

TANF
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

TPL
Third Party Liability

TFL
TRICARE for Life (health care system for retired military)

UB-04
The UB-04 is the red-ink on white paper standard claim form used by institutional providers for claim billing. Although it was developed by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), it has become the standard form used by all insurance carriers.

UCR
Usual, Customary & Reasonable (Charges)

UA
Urinalysis , Urine Analysis

UR
Upon Receipt , Urinary retention , Urine ,
Upper Respiratory, Under

W/O
Write Off ,Week of, Without

WC
Workers Compensation

WP
Work Place

Clavicle
collarbone
Image: Clavicle

Scapula
shoulder bone/shoulder blade
Image: Scapula

Humerus
upper arm bone
Image: Humerus

Ulna
forearm bone little finger side
Image: Ulna

Radius
forearm bone in line with the thumb
Image: Radius

Carpals
wrist bones 2 rows of four

Metacarpals
five bones of the palm of the hand
Image: Metacarpals

Phalanges
five finger bones
Image: Phalanges

Pelvic Girdle
pelvis
Image: Pelvic Girdle

Femur
only bone in the thigh
Image: Femur

Patella
kneecap
Image: Patella

Tibia
shinbone second largest bone in the body
Image: Tibia

Fibula
calf bone
Image: Fibula

Tarsals
in feet / ankle bones / 7 in each foot / hind foot bones
Image: Tarsals

Metatarsals
5 long bones in foot / mid foot bones
Image: Metatarsals

Phalanges of the toes
bones of the toes
Image: Phalanges of the toes"



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