As with any profession, there are a wide variety of acronyms and abbreviations that are used by occupational therapists. Following is a list of some of the common acronyms and abbreviations and what they stand for.
ACO Accountable Care Organization
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act
AOTA American Occupational Therapy Association
AYP Adequate Yearly Progress
BIP Behavioral Intervention Plan
CHIP Children’s Health Insurance Program
CMS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
CORF Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility
CPT® Current Procedural Terminology, a billing code system overseen by the American Medical Association
DME Durable Medical Equipment
DRG Diagnostic Related Group, a classification system used for coding cases and billing in hospitals
EBP Evidence Based Practice
EHA Education of All Handicapped Act, now IDEA
EI Early Intervention
EIS Early Intervening Services
FAPE Free Appropriate Public Education
FBA Functional Behavioral Assessment
GenEd General Education
HCPCS Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services billing code
HH Home Health
HI Hospital Insurance Trust Fund
HMO Health Management Organization, a form of health insurance coverage with reduced costs, network restricted care, and a primary care physician who serves as gatekeeper.
HQT Highly Qualified Teacher
ICD International Classification of Diseases, international coding system by the World Health Organization that classifies diseases and other health problems
IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, formerly EHA
IEP Individualized Education Program
IFSP Individualized Family Service Plan
IRF Inpatient Rehab Facility
LRE Least Restrictive Environment
LEA Local Education Agency
LTC Long Term Care
MDC Major Diagnostic Category, set of 25 group codes under which all diagnoses are classified
NCLB No Child Left Behind
NBCOT National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
NPI National Provider Identifier, an identifying code required for all healthcare providers
OASIS Outcome and Assessment Information Set
PAI Patient Assessment Instrument, a classification system used for billing in inpatient rehab facilities
PFS Physician Fee Schedule
PL Public Law
POS Point of Service, a form of health insurance coverage that is a blend between HMO and PPO style plans
PPACA Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, healthcare reform act passed in 2011
PPO Preferred Provider Organization, a form of health insurance coverage that has a higher cost, is less restrictive regarding network care, and does not require primary care physician referrals for specialized care
PPS Prospective Payment Systems
PQRS Physician Quality Reporting System, federal program in which Medicare payments are based on quality
RtI Response to Intervention
RUG Resource Utilization Group, a code for classifying and billing for services in skilled nursing facilities
SEA State Education Agency
SMH School Mental Health
SMI Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Fund
SNF Skilled Nursing Facility
SpEd Special Education