Glossary of EMR Terms
Other glossaries available here
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Account |
Your charges for a medical visit. |
| Account Number |
Number you're given by your doctor or hospital for a medical visit. |
| Accounts Receivable |
The total amount of money owed for professional services provided. |
| Actual Charge |
The amount of money a doctor or supplier charges for a certain medical service or supply. This amount is often more than the amount an insurance plan approves. |
| Adjudication |
The final determination of the issues involving settlement of an insurance claim, also known as a claim settlement. |
| Adjustment |
The portion of the bill that the doctor or hospital has agreed not to charge you. |
| Admission Date (Admit Date) |
Date you were admitted for treatment. |
| Admission Hour |
Hour when you were admitted for inpatient or outpatient care. |
| Admitting Diagnosis |
Words that your doctor uses to describe your condition. |
| Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) |
A notice the hospital or doctor gives you before you're treated, telling you that Medicare will not pay for some treatment or services. The notice is given to you so that you may decide whether to have the treatment and how to pay for it. |
| Advance Directive (Healthcare) |
Written ahead of time, a health care advance directive is a written document that says how you want medical decisions to be made if you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. A health care advance directive may include a Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney for health care. |
| All-inclusive Rate |
Payment covering all services during your hospital stay. |
| Ambulatory Care |
All types of health services that do not require an overnight hospital stay. |
| Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APC) |
A Medicare payment system that classifies outpatient services so Medicare can pay all hospitals the same amount. |
| Ambulatory Surgery |
Outpatient surgery, or surgery that does not require an overnight hospital stay. |