PT Glossary
| P.A. (Physician Assistant) |
a mid-level provider required to have a Bachelor's degree and then attend a rigorous 3-year training program mainly instructed by physicians. They are not physicians, but in most states have similar rights and privileges. However, they must be supervised by a physician. |
| Past Medical History |
a list of a past health issues, surgeries, specialists and other information shared by a patient about their past |
| Patient Demographics |
the patient's basic administrative information such as name DOB, SSN, Insurance, Address, Etc. |
| Payor |
any party responsible for payment of services rendered including the insurance company and patient |
| PCN |
the medical abbreviation for penicillin |
| PCP (Primary Care Physician |
the term used by insurance companies to describe the main provider that will manage a patient's health. In most cases this is a family practitioner, internist, general practitioner or pediatrician. The PCP is responsible for obtaining referrals to specialists as needed. |
| PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) |
a hand-held device with a number of uses. Often allowing you to connect to the Web while mobile |
| PEFR (Peak Expiratory Flow Rate) |
usually known as Peak Flow is the rate the air moves out of a patient's lungs at the beginning of the expiration, measured in liters per second |
| Plan |
is the section in the documentation "SOAP" note used to document the treatment the provider will prescribe including recommendations and any testing |
| Point and Click |
activating a command by pointing a cursor or mouse to a certain area and clicking |
| Posting |
the process by which patient charges are generated and payments are noted |
| PQRI Reporting (Physician Quality Reporting Initiative) - |
the 2006 Tax Relief and Health Care Act required the establishment of a physician quality reporting system. CMS named this program the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. The program is designed by CMS to improve the quality of reporting in the medical world. Even though it says "Physician" in the title, Physical and Occupational Therapists can participate. |
| Practice Management |
is a category of software used to manage the day-to-day operations of a medical practice. Practice Management software often includes scheduling, billing, reporting, and operational management for the practice. |
| Private Pay |
is the industry reference for patients without insurance |
| Progress Note |
the part of a medical record where healthcare professionals record details and document a patient's clinical status. PTs use this to update physicians on a patient's progress. A common format is the SOAP note. |
| Provider Login |
consists of a login and password for providers to access their electronic medical records |
| Provider or Provider of Service |
generally known title for MD, D.O., NP, or P.A. |
| Pull Down Menu |
also called a drop-down menu is a menu or list of commands/options that appear when you highlight that area and a list for you to select from appears |
