| 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)- An 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 Payment Classifications (APC)- A Medicare payment system that classifies outpatient services so Medicare can pay all hospitals the same amount. |
| Ambulatory Care- All types of health services that do not require an overnight hospital stay. |
| Ambulatory Surgery- Outpatient surgery, or surgery that does not require an overnight hospital stay. |
| Amount Charged- How much your doctor or hospital bills you. |
| Amount Paid- The dollar amount that you paid for your doctor or hospital visit. |
| Amount Not Covered- What your insurance company does not pay. It includes deductibles, co-insurances, and charges for non-covered services. |
| Amount Payable by Plan- How much your insurer pays for your treatment, minus any deductibles, coinsurance, or charges for non-covered services. |
| Ancillary Service- Services you need beyond room and board charges, such as laboratory tests, therapy, surgery and the like. |
| Anesthesia- Drugs given to you during surgery to eliminate or reduce surgical procedure pain. |
| Applicant - Person applying for insurance coverage. |
| Appeal- A process by which you, your doctor, or your hospital can object to your health plan when you disagree with the health plan''''s decision to not pay for your care. |
| Applied to Deductible- Portion of your bill, as defined by your insurance company, that you owe your doctor or hospital. |
| Approved Amount- The fee Medicare sets as reasonable for a covered medical service. This is the amount a doctor or supplier is paid by you and Medicare for a service or supply. It may be less than the actual amount charged by a doctor or supplier. The approved amount is sometimes called the "Approved Charge." |
| Assignment- An agreement you sign that allows your insurance to pay the doctor or hospital directly. |
| Assignment of Benefits- When insurance payments are sent directly to your doctor or hospital. |
| Attending Physician Name- The doctor who certifies that you need treatment, and is responsible for your care. |
| Authorization Number- A number stating that your treatment has been approved by your insurance plan. Also called a Certification Number or Prior-Authorization Number. |
