Test Your Healthcare Acronym Acumen!

Everyone in healthcare knows it’s an alphabet soup of acronyms. But not everyone knows what those acronyms mean.

For example, it took almost as long to say “The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations” as it would to get an annual check-up. So the acronym JCAHO evolved. Those in the know pronounced it “JAY-CO.” Those not in the know pronounced it “J-ca-hoe” or worse.

 

Maybe that’s why it is now known as TJC, which is short for The Joint Commission, which used to be short for what JCAHO used to be short for.

Wonder what the literati will do about EMTALA, which is short for the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, requiring hospitals that accept Medicare funding to screen and stabilize all patients presenting for care at the emergency department without earmarking payment for this care.

Here are a few more. See how well you do at identifying them:

1. ADT
2. CMS
3. CPOE
4. ED
5. EMR
6. EVS
7. HCAHPS
8. HIPAA
9. HIT
10. LOS
11. LWBS
12. LWOT
13. OR
14. PACU
15. PPIs
16. RAC
17. RTCM
18. RTLS
19. RTM

A/N, if you are in an AFZ, or you CRAT, then ASAYGT see below FTASB for the answers and MMYT.

(Author’s note, if you are in an acronym free zone, or you can’t remember a thing, then as soon as you get this see below faster than a speeding bullet for the answers and mail me your thoughts.)

ILA (I love acronyms)

(answers)

• ADT – admission, discharge transfer system
• CMS – Capacity Management Suite (TeleTracking acronym)
• CMS – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (industry acronym)
• CPOE – computerized physician order entry
• ED – Emergency Department
• EMR – electronic medical record
• EVS – Environmental Services
• HCAHPS – (“pronounced h-caps”) – Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
• HIPAA – (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). The HIPAA Privacy Rule regulates the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI)
• HIT – hospital information technology
• LOS – Length of Stay
• LWBS– Left Without Being Seen
• LWOT – Left Without Being Seen
• OR – operating room
• PACU – Post Anesthesia Care Unit
• PPIs – patient placement indicators
• RAC – Recovery Audit Contractors
• RTCM – Real Time Capacity Management
• RTLS – Real-time Locating System
• RTM – ready to move
• TJC – The Joint Commission (TJC), formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
How many did you identify without checking the answers? Don’t forget to MMYT!

 

 

Image credit: More Health Information Alphabet Soup