| Date of Bill- The date the bill for your services is prepared. It is not the same as the date of service. |
| Date of Service (DOS)- The date(s) when you were treated. |
| Days- The total number of days that you are being charged for the hospital''''s services. |
| Day Sheet- A register for recording daily business transactions (charges, payments, or adjustments); also known as daybook, daily log, or daily record sheet. |
| Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)- An electronic database used to verify beneficiary eligibility for those individuals in the TRICARE programs. |
| Denied Claim- Insurance claims submitted to an insurance company in which payment has been rejected due to technical error or because of medical coverage policy issues. |
| Description of Services- Words telling you what your doctor or hospital did for you. |
| Diagnosis Code- A code used for billing that describes your illness. |
| Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs)- A payment system for hospital bills. This system categorizes illnesses and medical procedures into groups for which hospitals are paid a fixed amount. |
| DICOM - Digital Image Communication in Medicine- Industry standard for transferring medical images between medical records & billing systems and between electronic devices. |
| Direct Referral- Certain services in a managed care plan may not require preauthorization. The authorization request form is completed and signed by the physician and handed to the patient to be done directly. |
| Dirty Claim- A claim submitted with errors or one that requires manual processing to resolve problems or is rejected for payment. |
| Discharge Hour- Hour when you were discharged. |
| Discount- Dollar amount taken off your bill, usually because of a contract with your hospital or doctor and your insurance company. |
| Downcoding- Reduce the value and code of a claim when the documentation does not support the level of service billed by a provider. The insurance company computer system converts the code submitted to the closest code in use, which is usually down one level from the submitted code, generating decreased payment. |
| DRG - Diagnosis Related Group- Codes used by Medicare for classification of in-patient medical services. |
| Drugs/Self Administered- Drugs that do not require doctors or nurses to help you when you take them. They may require a prescription, but you can take them as prescribed. |
| Due from Insurance- How much money is due from your insurance company. |
| Due from Patient- How much you owe your doctor or hospital. |
| Durable Medical Equipment (DME)- Medical equipment that can be used many times, or special equipment ordered by your doctor, usually for use at home. |
