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Everyday we are faced with a "code" of some sort, no matter what area of law we work in. It may be a special abbreviation used to denote an expert's credentials, or shorthand for an engineering term. Or even a specialized term we can not find defined in a traditional dictionary. It may be a shortened spelling of a word, an abbreviation. Or, it may be an acronym.
An acronym is a kind of abbreviation. The word comes from Greek, meaning heads of names. Acronyms are usually made from the capitalized initials of the words it represents, for example FBI is an acronym for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Occasionally, for special reasons, the second letter of a word is used, as in XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Sometimes more than one letter is included for a word, to avoid ambiguity or because they form an existing abbreviation, as in SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander, Europe).
Contrary to what some sources say, acronyms do not have to be pronounceable words (for example FBI is spelled out when spoken, whereas NASA is not). Some sources use the word initialism to refer to the spelled acronyms.
The medical and billing records of the client are filled with specialized abbreviations and acronyms that may provide crucial information related to the client's claim. Even data reports referencing chemicals, specialized tests, and laboratory results come in "code".
What is one to do when faced with the challenge of the "code"? There are various resources available on the internet with more arriving daily. I have made an attempt to summarize some of the various resources available.
If you are not able to "crack" the "code", it is advised you ask the entity providing the data where the "code" is found with a key or list of approved codes to enable you to clearly translate the document.
Be aware that some abbreviations are regional, with differing abbreviations actually meaning the same thing. For example in medicine TKO and KVO mean the same thing, to run an IV at a rate that is just fast enough to overcome vascular resistance and keep the vein open (TKO = to keep open, KVO = keep vein open).
Below are various sites available to assist in "breaking the code".
Part One - Medical Abbreviations - Acronyms - General
International Medical Abbreviations:
http://www.wyeth.co.uk/resources/med_main.htm General Medical Abbreviations Look up:
http://www.wyeth.co.uk/education/eduhome.htm Use the medical dictionary to look up the meaning of common medical terms, abbreviations, and medical names. This dictionary includes terms from diseases, symptoms, treatments, diagnostic tests, and many other medical terms.
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/lists/dictaz.htm Medical Malpractice Terminology/Dictionary
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/malpractice/dictionary.htm List of Medical Acronyms and Abbreviations
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/lists/acronymns.htm Pathology Abbreviation Look up:
Pathologists use lots of abbreviations and acronyms. An acronym is an abbreviation of a phrase, where each letter of the acronym is added consecutively from the first letter of each of the words of the phrase. An abbreviation is a shortened form of a text-string, and all acronyms are types of abbreviations. The following is a list of over 12,000 abbreviations used in medicine: http://www.euspirit.org/en/upload/984528174.37955/abbtwo.htm JACHO/ Institute for Safe Medication Practices - Listing of dangerous and prohibited abbreviations
By the end of 2004, JCAHO expected full compliance in all handwritten, print, and electronic media documents related to these dangerous abbreviations. Further details are available on the JCAHO Web site:
http://www.jointcommission.org/NewsRoom/NewsReleases/nr_012506.htm In addition, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has published a list of dangerous abbreviations relating to medication use that it recommends should be explicitly prohibited. It is available on the ISMP Web site:
http://www.ismp.org/Tools/errorproneabbreviations.pdf Acronym Glossary - Medical & Professional Degrees & Credentials
http://www.sandiegobizmart.com/tools/t3_acronym_glossary.htm Nursing Credentials/Acronyms
| A
|
| AAS: |
Associates' Degree Applied Science |
| ACNP: |
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner |
| ACLS: |
Advanced Cardiac Life Support |
| ACRN: |
AIDS Certified Registered Nurse |
| ANP: |
Adult Nurse Practitioner |
| AOCN: |
Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse |
| APN: |
Advanced Practice Nurse |
| ARNP: |
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner |
| ASN: |
Associates' Degree in Nursing |
| B
|
| BC: |
Board Certified |
| BCLS; BLS: |
Basic Cardiac Life Support |
| C
|
| C: |
C - connotes certification in a specialty area by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center in one of several generalist and specialist practice areas. |
| C-SPI: |
Certified Specialist in Poison Information |
| CANP: |
Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner |
| CAPA: |
Certified Ambulatory Perianesthesia Nurse |
| CARN: |
Certified Addictions Registered Nurse |
| CARN-AP: |
Certified Addictions Registered Nurse--Advanced Practice |
| CCCN: |
Certified Continence Care Nurse |
| CCM: |
Certified Case Manager |
| CCNS: |
Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist |
| CCRN: |
Certified Critical Care Registered Nurse |
| CDDN: |
Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse |
| CDE: |
Certified Diabetes Educator |
| CDMS: |
Certified Disability Management Specialist |
| CDN: |
Certified Dialysis Nurse |
| CDONA/LTC: |
Certified Director of Nursing Administration in Long-Term Care |
| CEN: |
Certified Emergency Nurse |
| CFRN: |
Certified Flight Registered Nurse |
| CGA: |
Certified Gastroenterology Associate |
| CGN: |
Certified Gastroenterology Nurse |
| CGRN: |
Certified Gastroenterology Registered Nurse |
| CGT: |
Certified Gastroenterology Technician |
| CHN: |
Certified Hemodialysis Nurse |
| CHPN: |
Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse |
| CHRN: |
Certified Hyperbaric Registered Nurse |
| CHT: |
Certified Hemodialysis Technician |
| CIC: |
Certified in Infection Control |
| CLNC: |
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant |
| CM: |
Certified Midwife |
| CMCN: |
Certified Managed Care Nurse |
| CMDSC: |
Certified MDS Coordinator |
| CNA: |
Certified Nursing Assistant |
| CNA: |
Certified in Nursing Administration |
| CNA-A: |
Certified Nursing Assistant--Advanced |
| CNAA: |
Certified in Nursing Administration, Advanced |
| CNLCP: |
Certified Nurse Life Care Planner |
| CNM: |
Certified Nurse-Midwife |
| CNN: |
Certified Nephrology Nurse |
| CNNP: |
Certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner |
| CNOR: |
Certified Nurse, Operating Room |
| CNRN: |
Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse |
| CNS: |
Clinical Nurse Specialist |
| CNSN: |
Certified Nutrition Support Nurse |
| COCN: |
Certified Ostomy Care Nurse |
| COHN: |
Certified Occupational Health Nurse |
| COHN-S: |
Certified Occupational Health Nurse--Specialist |
| COHN-S/CM: |
Certified Occupational Health Nurse--Specialist/Case Manager |
| COHN/CM: |
Certified Occupational Health Nurse/Case Manager |
| CORLN: |
Certified Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Nurse |
| CPAN: |
Certified Postanesthesia Nurse |
| CPDN: |
Certified Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse |
| CPHQ: |
Certified Professional in Health Care Quality |
| CPN: |
Certified Pediatric Nurse |
| CPNA: |
Certified Pediatric Nurse Associate |
| CPNL: |
Certified Practical Nurse--Long-Term Care |
| CPNP: |
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| CPON: |
Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurse |
| CPSN: |
Certified Plastic Surgical Nurse |
| CRN: |
Certified Radiologic Nurse |
| CRNA: |
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist |
| CRNFA: |
Certified Registered Nurse, First Assistant |
| CRNI: |
Certified Registered Nurse Infusion |
| CRNL: |
Certified Registered Nurse--Long-Term Care |
| CRNO: |
Certified Registered Nurse in Ophthalmology |
| CRNP: |
Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner |
| CRRN: |
Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse |
| CRRN-A: |
Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse--Advanced |
| CTN: |
Certified Transcultural Nurse |
| CUA: |
Certified Urologic Associate |
| CUCNS: |
Certified Urologic Clinical Nurse Specialist |
| CUNP: |
Certified Urologic Nurse Practitioner |
| CURN: |
Certified Urologic Registered Nurse |
| CVN: |
Certified Vascular Nurse |
| CWCN: |
Certified Wound Care Nurse |
| CWOCN: |
Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse |
| D
|
| DNC: |
Dermatology Nurse Certified |
| DNS: |
Doctorate, Nursing Science |
| E
|
| ENPC: |
Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course |
| ET: |
Enterostomal Therapist (Now Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse) |
| F
|
| FAAN: |
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing |
| FAAPM: |
Fellow, American Academy of Pain Management |
| FCCM: |
Fellow, American College of Critical Care Medicine |
| FNC: |
Family Nurse Clinician |
| FNP: |
Family Nurse Practitioner |
| FPNP: |
Family Planning Nurse Practitioner |
| FRCNA: |
Fellow, Royal College of Nursing, Australia |
| G
|
| GNP: |
Gerontological Nurse Practitioner |
| GPN: |
General Pediatric Nurse |
| H
|
| HHA: |
Home Health Aide |
| I
|
| IBCLC: |
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant |
| L
|
| L.Ac.: |
Licensed Acupuncturist |
| LCCE: |
Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator |
| LNC: |
Legal Nurse Consultant |
| LNCC: |
Legal Nurse Consultant Certified |
| LPN: |
Licensed Practical Nurse |
| LSN: |
Licensed School Nurse (In Minnesota) |
| LVN: |
Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| M
|
| MICN: |
Mobile Intensive Care Nurse |
| MN: |
Masters' Degree in Nursing |
| MSN: |
Masters' Degree in Nursing |
| N
|
| NCSN: |
National Certified School Nurse |
| NICN: |
Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing |
| NNP: |
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner |
| NP: |
Nurse Practitioner |
| NP-C: |
Nurse Practitioner, Certified |
| NPP: |
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner |
| O
|
| OCN: |
Oncology Certified Nurse |
| OGNP: |
Obstetric/Gynecology Nurse Practitioner |
| ONC: |
Orthopaedic Nurse Certified |
| P
|
| PHN: |
Public Health Nurse |
| PMHNP: |
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner |
| PNP: |
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner |
| R
|
| RN: |
Registered Nurse |
| RN,C: |
Registered Nurse, Certified |
| RN,CS: |
Registered Nurse, Certified (Clinical) Specialist |
| T
|
| TNCC: |
Trauma Nursing Course Certified |
| TNS: |
Trauma Nurse Specialist |
| W
|
| WHNP: |
Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner |
| WOCN: |
Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse |
Dictionary of Initials, Acronyms, and Abbreviations Used by Counselors and Social Workers
http://www.counselingseattle.com/initials.htm Abbreviations - International Federation of Medical Students Association
http://www.ifmsa.org/about/abbreviations.php Stanford School of Medicine - Department of Medicine Resource Guide - Abbreviation Resource
http://ostinato.stanford.edu/acronyms/alpha.asp?F Abbreviations used in documentation for those with diabetes
http://www.diabetesmonitor.com/r03.htm Medical and Pharmaceutical Spell Checker - Check the spelling of words online, also
includes a link to look up medical abbreviations
http://spellex.com/speller.htm Abbreviations commonly used in writing prescriptions:
| a.c. |
: |
before meals (Latin: ante cibum) |
| b.i.d. |
: |
twice daily (Latin: bis in die) |
| b.i.n. |
: |
twice nightly (Latin: bis in noctus ) |
| c |
: |
with (Latin: cum) |
| cap |
: |
capsule (Latin: capsula) |
| d |
: |
day (Latin: dies) |
| daw |
: |
Dispense as written, no substitutions |
| gtt |
: |
drop (Latin: gutta) |
| h.s. |
: |
bedtime (Latin: hora somni) |
| noxt |
: |
at night |
| O.D. |
: |
Right eye (Latin: oculus dexter) |
| O.S. |
: |
Left eye (Latin: oculus sinister) |
| O.U. |
: |
Each eye (Latin: oculus uterque) |
| p.c. |
: |
After meals (Latin: post cibum) |
| pil |
: |
Pill (Latin: pilula) |
| p.o. |
: |
By mouth (Latin: per os) |
| p.r.n. |
: |
As needed (Latin: pro re nata) |
| q.d. |
: |
Every day (Latin: quaque die) |
| q.h. |
: |
Every hour (Latin: quaque hora) |
| q.2h. |
: |
Every two hours (Latin: quaque secunda hora) |
| q.3h. |
: |
Every three hours (Latin: quaque tertia hora) |
| q.4h. |
: |
Every four hours (Latin: quaque quarta hora) |
| q.q.h. |
: |
Every four hours (Latin: quaque quarta hora) |
| q.6h. |
: |
Every six hours (Latin: quaque sex hora) |
| q.8h. |
: |
Every eight hours (Latin: quaque octa hora) |
| q.i.d. |
: |
Four times per day (Latin: quater in die) |
| q.s. |
: |
As much as is required (Latin: quantum sufficit) |
| s. |
: |
Without (Latin: sine) |
| s.o.s. |
: |
If necessary (Latin: semis) |
| ss |
: |
Half (Latin: sine) |
| t.d.s |
: |
To be taken three times daily (Latin: ter die sumendum) |
| t.i.d. |
: |
Three times a day (Latin: ter in die) |
| t.i.n. |
: |
Three times a night (Latin: ter in nocte) |
| ut. dict. |
: |
As directed (Latin: ut dictum) |
Acronyms Frequently Used in Special/Gifted Education
This list is not comprehensive; it is intended as a quick reference.
http://ericec.org/fact/acronyms.html Dictionary for Parents of Children with Disabilities - Download from this site:
http://www.usd.edu/cd/publications/dictionary.cfm Acronyms in the Helping Professions
Here is a helpful list of some of the more common abbreviations and acronyms. The designations are broken down into several categories for your convenience. Many professionals will list both a license and a national certification. For example, a professional counselor may place both LPC (for Licensed Professional Counselor) and NCC (for Nationally Certified Counselor) after his/her name and degree.
http://www.encouragementplus.com/acronyms.html Physical Therapy Acronyms and Abbreviations
http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/abbreviationsandterms/a/PTabbreviations.htm Various Departments of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living - these agencies use a number of acronyms and abbreviations to describe its services and programs. The following list from the Department of Disabilities-Vermont includes some of the more common:
http://www.dad.state.vt.us/DSwebsite/facts/acronyms.html
And this listing is from the U.S. Deparment of Health and Human Services
http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/acronym.shtml
Acronyms in Aging - AARP - This guide, published in 2005, identifies acronyms commonly used in the field of aging and provides brief descriptions of the entities to which they refer. The downloadable guide is found here:
http://www.aarp.org/research/reference/agingtrends/aresearch-import-881.html
Part Two: Medical Diagnosis/Code- Acronym Look Up
ICD-9 codes (Think of it as "Diagnosis" Code)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd9.htm
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the classification used to code and classify mortality data from death certificates.
The International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) is used to code and classify morbidity data from the inpatient and outpatient records, physician offices, and most National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) surveys. CPT Codes -Current Procedural Terminology
(Think of it as "Procedure Code" upon which reimbursement is determined)
https://catalog.ama-assn.org/Catalog/cpt/cpt_search.jsp?checkXwho=done
CPT Codes describe medical or psychiatric procedures performed by physicians and other health providers. The codes were developed by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to assist in the assignment of reimbursement amounts to providers by Medicare carriers. A growing number of managed care and other insurance companies, however, base their reimbursements on the values established by HCFA.
Since the early 1970s, HCFA has asked the American Medical Association (AMA) to work with physicians of every specialty to determine appropriate definitions for the codes and to try to determine accurate reimbursement amounts for each code. Two committees within AMA work on these issues: the CPT Committee, which updates the definitions of the codes, and the RUC (Relative Value Update Committee), which recommends reimbursement values to HCFA based on data collected by medical societies on the going rate of services described in the codes. Medicare Unique Physician Identification Numbers (UPIN) - UPIN is a six-position alphanumeric identifier that is assigned to all Medicare physicians, medical groups and non-physician practitioners
UPIN are assigned as follows:
- Physicians (Medical Doctors) begin with A - M
- Limited License Practitioners, e.g., Chiropractors, Dentist, etc, begin with T - V
- Non-Physician Practitioners, e.g., Anesthesia Assistants, Physician Assistants, Clinical Nurse Practitioners, etc, are assigned P -S
- Group Entities, e.g., Ambulance, Independent Physiological Lab, etc, are assigned W - Y
See below for the applicable Credential Codes:
| AA |
: |
Anesthesia Assistant |
| AMB |
: |
Ambulance Service Supplier |
| ASC |
: |
Ambulatory Surgical Center |
| AU |
: |
Audiologist |
| CH |
: |
Chiropractor |
| CNA |
: |
Certified Nurse Anesthetist |
| CNM |
: |
Certified Nurse Midwife |
| CNS |
: |
Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist |
| CP |
: |
Clinical Psychologist |
| CSW |
: |
Clinical Social Worker |
| DDM |
: |
Doctor of Dental Medicine |
| DDS |
: |
Doctor of Dental Surgery |
| DO |
: |
Doctor of Osteopathy |
| DPM |
: |
Podiatrist |
| FNP |
: |
Family Nurse Practitioner |
| GRP |
: |
Group |
| IDF |
: |
Independent Diagnostic Facility |
| IPL |
: |
Independent Physiological Lab |
| LAB |
: |
Laboratory |
| MD |
: |
Medical Doctor |
| MSC |
: |
Mammography Screening Center |
| NP |
: |
Nurse Practitioner |
| OD |
: |
Doctor of Optometry |
| OT |
: |
Occupational Therapist |
| PA |
: |
Physician Assistant |
| PHS |
: |
Public Health Service |
| PSY |
: |
Psychologist |
| PT |
: |
Physical Therapist |
| PXS |
: |
Portable XRay Supplier |
| RNA |
: |
Certified Registered Nurse |
Code Modifiers for Alternative Medicine - ABC codes and terminology are maintained and developed annually as consumers, individual practitioners, practitioner associations and other health industry organizations submit code requests that reflect current practices in alternative medicine, nursing and integrative healthcare. This is an attempt to fill in the "gaps" left from other coding, and is done to support research and compile data by practioner type. These include treatment by massage therapists, acupuncturists, etc. These may not be seen in traditional billing records, but may be referenced in charting or other records obtained from non-traditional medical sources:
http://www.alternativelink.com/ali/abc_codes/code_mode.asp
Part Three: General References
General Acronym Look Up
This is a neat tool for when you need to know what a special Acronym means. What is great about this electric dictionary is it returns a list of appropriate matches, BUT lets you further sort by categories such as : Most common (default), information technology, military/government, science/medicine, organizations, slang/chat, etc.
http://www.acronymfinder.com/ Abbreviationz (from a-z on the net) - Search or browse more than 305,000 abbreviations or acronyms. You can create and maintain your own list of terms.
http://www.stands4.com/ Acronyma- Database of more than 460,000 acronyms and abbreviations. Results can be displayed alphabetically or according to "importance". Also can search in several languages
http://www.acronyma.com/ The WorldWideWeb Acronym and Abbreviation Server - This site has acronyms and their expansions.
http://silmaril.ie/cgi-bin/uncgi/acronyms Investigative Resources - Investigative Resources International has maintained this database since 1995 as a service to the investigative and legal communities. They are continually updating and improving the site with selected links to searchable databases and research sites. Open and Public record sources from the US as well as foreign countries are included.
http://www.factfind.com/public.htm General Reference "Bookshelf" Great source of references to all kinds of information - abbreviations, definitions, standards, codes, travel, media..you name it ..it's here!
http://www.ecoplan.org/general/referenceshelf.htm Governmental/Military Acronyms
The Federal Government tends to use abbreviations and special terms a great deal in their documentation. This is a listing of some from the Department of Defense and VeteranŐs Affairs
http://www.pbm.va.gov/PBM/acronyms.pdf Compendium of Environmental Acronyms - Association of Engineering Geologists
http://web.umr.edu/~aeg/arco/arco.html Electronic and Engineering Acronyms and Abbreviations
http://www.interfacebus.com/Engineering_Acronyms.html CAS (Chemical Society of America) - Standard Abbreviations and Symbols
http://www.cas.org/ONLINE/standards.html#listinga Chemical look up by abbreviation or name, with links out to data sheets, MSDS sheets and other information.
http://www.chemfinder.com National Weather Service - Weather Acronyms
http://www.srh.weather.gov/jetstream/append/acronyms_a.htm Abbreviations and Acronyms of the U.S. Government
http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/subjectareas/gov/docs_abbrev.html Glossary of Internet Abbreviations: Email and Chat Shorthand:
Part One:
http://netforbeginners.about.com/cs/netiquette101/a/abbreviations_p.htm
Part Two:
http://netforbeginners.about.com/cs/netiquette101/a/abbreviations_2.htm
Part Three: (emoticons/smilies)
http://netforbeginners.about.com/cs/netiquette101/a/bl_emoticons101_2.htm
Remember, there may be more than one definition of the "code" you are trying to "break". You have to consider the context in which it is used, the setting and even the region of the country. These resources are only meant to be a guide, taking into account new resources are added daily as well as others are being discontinued.
Janabeth F. Taylor, R.N., R.N.C. has a degree in Nursing from Oklahoma State University and Litigation Paralegal Certificate from the University of Oklahoma Law Center. She was a nursing instructor for ten years and has been a medical legal consultant since 1990. Ms. Taylor is currently President/Owner of Attorney's Medical Services, Inc. in Corpus Christi, TX.
In 2002 she was named the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's Paralegal of the Year. She provides litigation support for attorneys across the United States and specializes in case reviews and Internet information resources. Her website is http://www.attorneysmedicalservices.com and her e-mail address is jana@attorneysmedicalservices.com
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