Hospice Acronyms and Abbreviations: A Complete List

No matter what setting you work in, you likely encounter abbreviations on a regular basis—but it's not always easy to keep them all straight, and new ones are seemingly created every day. Yet in an environment where clear communication is essential, a misunderstood abbreviation could be dangerous.

With that in mind, here's a list of some of the more common cross-setting hospice abbreviations. There will never be a truly exhaustive list, and your own setting likely has its own unique shorthand, but this collection should give you a strong foundation.

We also have created a list of common Physical Therapy abbreviations, Occupational Therapy abbreviations, Speech-Language Pathology abbreviations, & Nursing abbreviations.

Common Clinical and Non-Clinical Physical Therapy Abbreviations

Clinical Abbreviations

A:

ABN: Advance Beneficiary Notice

ACA: Affordable Care Act

ACF: Acure Care Facility

ADL: Activities of daily living

ALF: Assisted Living Facility

ALOS: Average Length of Stay

ALS: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease)

B:

BC: Bereavement Coordinator

BID: Twice a day

BMI: Body Mass Index

BP: Blood Pressure

C:

CASPER: Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports

CAHPS: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems

CC: Continuous Care/Crisis Care

CCN: CMS Certification Number

CHC: Continuous Home Care

CHF: Congestive Heart Failure

CMS: Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services

CNA: Certified Nursing Assistant

COP: Conditions of Participation

COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

CRF: Chronic Renal Failure

CT: Computed Tomography

CTI: Certification of Terminal Illness

CTI-A: Certification of Terminal Illness - Attending Physician

CTI-H: Certification of Terminal Illness - Hospice Physician

CY: Calendar Year

D:

DC: Discharge

DM: Diabetes Mellitus

DME: Durable Medical Equipment

DNH: Do Not Hospitalize

DNI: Do Not Intubate

DNR: Do Not Resuscitate

DOD: Date of Death

E:

EHR: Electronic Health Record

EMR: Electronic Medical Record

EOB: Election of Benefits

EOL: End of Life

F:

F2F: Face to Face

FAST: Functional Assessment Staging Tool

FEHC: Family Evaluation of Hospice Care

FFS: Fee-for-Service

FR: Federal Register

Fu: Follow-Up

FVR: Final Validation Report

FY: Fiscal Year

G:

GIP: General Inpatient Care

H:

HA: Hospice Aide

Healing Touch: Healing Touch Therapy

HH: Home Health

HHA: Home Health Agency

HHVBP: Home Health Value-Based Purchasing

HIS: Hospice Item Set

HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus

HMD: Hospice Medical Director

HMO: Health Maintenance Organization

HP: Hospice Physician

HQRP: Hospice Quality Reporting Program

Hypnosis: Hypnotherapy

I:

ICD: Internal Classification of Diseases

ICD-9-CM: International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification

ICD-10-CM: International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification

ID: Identification

IDG: Interdisciplinary Group

IDT: Interdisciplinary Team

IMPACT Act: Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014

IPOC: Initial Plan of Care

IRC: Inpatient Respite Care

IRF: Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility

IV: Intravenous

K:

KPS: Karnofsky Performance Scale

L:

LCDs: Local Coverage Determinations

LOC: Level of Care

LOS: Length of Stay

LPN: Licensed Practical Nurse

LTAC: Long-term Acute Care Facility

LTC: Long-Term Care

LTCH: Long-Term Care Hospital

M:

MAC: Mid Arm Circumference

MD: Medical Doctor

MDS: Minimum Data Set

MLOS: Median Length of Stay

MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MSW: Medical Social Worker

N:

NA: Not Applicable

NH: Nursing Home

NHPCO: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

NF: Nursing Facility

NOE: Notice of Election

NOMNC: Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage

NP: Nurse Practitioner

NQF: National Quality Forum

NQS: National Quality Standards

NYHA: New York Heart Association

O:

OASIS: Outcome and Assessment Information Set

OT: Occupational Therapy

OTC: Over-the-Counter Medication

P:

PA: Physician's Assistant

PAC: Post-Acute Care

PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Manager

PCP: Primary Care Physician

PDR: Physician's Drug Reference

POA: Power of Attorney

POC: Plan of Care

PPS: Palliative Performance Scale or Prospective Payment System

PRN: As Needed

PT: Physical Therapy

PTR: Provider Threshold Report

PVD: Peripheral Vascular Disease

Q:

QA: Quality Assurance

QAPI: Quality Assurance Performance Improvement

QI: Quality Initiative

QIES: Quality Improvement and Evaluation System

QM: Quality Measure

R:

RHC: Routine Home Care

RN: Registered Nurse

S:

SC: Spiritual Counselor/Chaplain

SER: Supination-External Rotation

SN: Skilled Nursing

SNF: Skilled Nursing Facility

SOB: Shortness of Breath

SOC: Start of Care

ST: Speech Therapy

SW: Social Worker

T:

TEP: Technical Expert Panel

TPN: Total Parenteral Nutrition

U:

UK: Unknown

V:

VBP: Value-Based Purchasing

VC: Volunteer Coordinator

VOL: Volunteer

VR: Validation Report

Billing Abbreviations & Terminology

811: Admit Through Discharge

812: Initial Claim

813: Continuing Claim

814: Final Claim

817: Replacement of Prior Claim

818: Void/Cancel Claim

81A: NOE

81B: NOTR

81C: NOE - Transfer

ADR: Additional Development (Documentation) Request

APU: Annual Payment Update

ASAP: Assessment Submission and Processing

CWF: Common Working File

DDE: Direct Data Entry

DOS: Dates of Service

HIQA: Health Insurance Query Access

HIQH: Health Insurance Query Home Health or Hospice

MSP: Medicare Secondary Payer

NOE: Notice of Election

NOTR: Notice of Termination or Revocation

SIA: Service Intensity Add-On

TOB: Type of Bill

Clarity Over Convenience

Abbreviations play a useful role in hospice communication, but they can sometimes lead to confusion, especially when terms carry more than one meaning. This guide offers a helpful reference, but it’s no substitute for clear, direct communication. When questions arise, take the time to verify terms with your team. A quick check-in can prevent missteps and help maintain quality care.