Glossary of Orthotic & Prosthetic Terms
Downloadable PDF versionABC: American Board for Certification in
Orthotics
& Prosthetics, Inc.
Abduction: The act of moving the hip (and
residual
limb) away from the midline of the body.
Adduction: The act of moving the hip (and
residual
limb) toward the midline of the body.
AE: Above Elbow Amputation.
AFO: Ankle Foot Orthotics.
AK: An Above Knee Amputation.
Alignment: The relationship of the prosthetic
foot
to the socket.
Amputation: The removal of a limb by trauma,
medical
illness, or surgery.
BE: A Below Elbow Amputation.
BK: A Below Knee Amputation.
BOC: The Board of Certification/Accreditation
(BOC),
founded in 1984, is an independent, not-for-profit agency dedicated to meeting the demands
for
quality patient care by offering highly valued credentials for professionals and suppliers
of
comprehensive orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) care and durable medical equipment (DME)
services.
Bulbous: Refers to the residual limb being
larger in
circumference at the end than at the top.
Cervical: Pertaining to the neck.
CFO (Custom Fabricated Orthosis): Orthosis,
which is
individually made for a specific patient.
Check Socket: A socket made of clear plastic
used to
evaluate the fit of the socket design to the residual limb.
CO (Certified Orthotist): Orthotist who has
passed
the certification standards.
Corset: Lumbar brace made from textile material.
CP (Certified Prosthetist): Prosthetist who has
passed the certification standards.
CPO (Certified Prosthetist-Orthotist):
Prosthetist/Orthotist who has passed the certification standards.
CROW: Charcot Restraint Orthotic Walker.
Doffing: Taking the orthosis or prosthesis off.
Donning: Putting the orthosis or prosthesis on.
Dystrophy: Pathologic loss of muscle mass.
Edema: Swelling of the tissue.
Endoskeletal Design: A construction technique
that
uses a pipe or pylon as the support structure.
Exoskeletal Design: A construction technique
that
uses wood or hard foam as the support structure.
Extension: The act of moving the hip (and
residual
limb) backward or to the rear of the body.
Fabrication: Procedure of mechanically creating
a
device.
FFO: Functional Foot Orthotics.
Flexion: The act of moving the hip (and residual
limb) forward or to the front of the body.
Functional Level: Degree of function a disabled
patient still achieves.
Hemipelvectomy: A high-level pelvic amputation.
Hip Disarticulation: Amputation of the entire
leg
from the hip.
HKAFO: Hip Knee Ankle Foot Orthotics.
KAFO: Knee Ankle Foot Orthotics.
K-Levels: K-levels are defined by Medicare based
on
an individual’s ability or potential to ambulate and navigate their environment.
KO: Knee Orthotics.
Musculo-skeletal System: System of cooperating
muscles and bones in biological creatures.
O&P: Orthotics and prosthetics.
O&P Facility: Place where orthotic or prosthetic
patient care is provided.
Orthopaedics: Medical specialty dealing with the
locomotor system.
Orthopaedist: Surgeon who corrects congenital or
functional abnormalities of the bones with surgery, casting, and bracing.
Orthosis: Custom-fabricated or custom-fitted
brace
or support designed to align, correct, or prevent neuromuscular or musculoskeletal
dysfunction,
disease, injury, or deformity.
Orthotics: The science and practice of
evaluating,
measuring, designing, fabricating, assembling, fitting, adjusting, or servicing an orthosis
under a prescription from a licensed physician, chiropractor, or podiatrist to correct or
alleviate neuromuscular or musculoskeletal dysfunction, disease, injury, or deformity.
Orthotist: Person who measures, designs,
fabricates,
fits, or services orthoses as prescribed by a licensed physician, and who assists in the
formulation of an orthosis to support or correct disabilities.
Orthopaedics vs Orthopedics: Orthopaedics is the
original British form of the word and Orthopedics is a more Americanized version. Both refer
to
the diagnosis and treatment of all conditions and injuries of the musculoskeletal system.
Plaster Impression: The plaster cast that is
applied
to the residual limb in order to obtain an accurate model during the fabrication process.
Practitioner: A health professional who is
specifically educated and clinically trained to manage the provision of comprehensive
orthotic
and prosthetic care.
Prosthesis: Artificial medical device that is
not
surgically implanted which is used to replace a missing limb or appendage such as artificial
limbs, hands, fingers, feet or toes.
Prosthetic Components: The parts that make up
the
artificial limb. For example, foot, ankle, socket, pylon, etc.
Prosthetic Sock: A sock knitted to fit the shape
of
the residual limb worn inside the socket.
Prosthetics: Science and practice of evaluating,
measuring, designing, fabricating, assembling, fitting, adjusting, or servicing prosthesis
under
an order from a licensed physician.
Prosthetist: Person who measures, designs,
fabricates, fits, or services prosthesis as prescribed by a licensed physician, and who
assists
in the formulation of the prosthesis prescription for the replacement of external parts of
the
human body lost due to amputation or congenital deformities or absences.
Pylon: A pipe-like structure used to connect the
prosthetic socket to the foot/ankle components.
Rehabilitation: Process of restoring a person
who
has been debilitated by a disease or injury to a functional life.
Residual Limb: Remaining portion of the limb
after
amputation.
RGO: Reciprocating Gait Orthotics.
SEWHO: Shoulder Elbow Wrist Hand Orthotics.
SMO: Supra‐Malleolar Orthotics.
Socket: The portion of the prosthesis that is in
contact with the residual limb.
Soft Orthosis: Orthotic device made from fabric
or
elastic components (e.g., pressure gradient hose, corset, cervical collars, trusses).
Sound side leg: Non-amputated limb.
Syme’s amputation: An amputation performed at
the
ankle joint.
Technician-Orthotic/Prosthetic: Person trained
to
fabricate, repair and maintain orthoses or prostheses under the supervision of an
orthotist/prosthetist.
TLSO: Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis.
Transfemoral: A type of amputation that occurs
above
the knee.
Transhumeral: A type of amputation that occurs
above
the elbow.
Transradial: A type of amputation that occurs at
the
forearm.
Transtibial: A type of amputation that occurs
below
the knee.
UCBL Shoe Insert: University of California
Biomechanics Laboratory Shoe Insert/University of California Berkeley Laboratory Shoe
Insert.
WHO: Wrist Hand Orthotics.
Glossary of Health Care Terms
Download Health Care Glossary (PDF)
Accreditation: East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. has
several BOC accredited facilities. Accreditation is a “seal of approval” given to the plan
by an independent organization such as BOC to show that we meet national quality standards.
Allowed Amount: Maximum amount on which payment is based for
covered health care services, the remainder owed by a patient will result in an
out-of-pocket expense.
Annual Limit: A cap or limit on the benefits your insurance
company will pay in a year while you’re enrolled in a particular health insurance plan.
Carrier: Any insurer, managed care organization, or group
hospital plan. At East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. we often refer to this as your
health insurance.
Claim: A bill for medical services rendered, typically
submitted to the insurance company by East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp.
CMS: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Coinsurance: The amount that you are obliged to pay to East
Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. for covered medical services after you’ve satisfied any
co-payment or deductible required by your health insurance plan.
Co-payment: Often referred to as a “co-pay”, it is a specific
charge that your health insurance plan may require that you may have to pay a provider like
East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. for a specific medical service or supply.
Date of Service (DOS): is the date on which a health care
service was provided to you by East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp.
Deductible: A deductible is an amount you pay for a health care
service provided by a provider like East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. before your
health insurance begins to pay us.
Diagnosis (DX): An identification of the nature of an illness
or other problem provided by your doctor via examination of the symptoms. Diagnoses codes
allow providers like East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. to facilitate the processing of
health insurance claims.
Durable Medical Equipment (DME): Any equipment that provides
therapeutic benefits to a patient in need because of certain medical conditions and/or
illnesses.
Eligibility Date: Eligibility Date may also be referred to an
Effective Date; this is the date when you become entitled to benefits under your insurance
plan. At East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. a customer service representative will
verify your insurance to make sure that you are eligible for medical services.
Explanation of Benefits (EOB): After being provided with
medical services from East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. you should receive an
Explanation of Benefits statement for your insurance online or in the mail regarding the
medical care that your insurance will pay us for, services they can’t pay for and why, and
any charges you may owe out of your own pocket to East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp.
Group #: A number of individuals covered under a single health
insurance contract, usually a group of employees.
Health Care Procedure Codes (HCPCS): HCPCS is a collection of
standardized codes that represent medical procedures, supplies, products, and services.
HCPCS allows a provider like East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. to facilitate the
processing of health insurance claims.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): An insurance plan that
allows you to pick one primary care physician. All your health care services go through that
doctor. With an HMO, you need a referral before you can see any other health care
professional, except in an emergency.
HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996 is legislation mandating specific privacy rules and practices for medical care
providers and health insurance companies.
ICD-10: The Tenth revision of the International Statistical
Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. This is a standard created for
consistency among physicians in recording patient symptoms and diagnoses for the purposes of
payer claims reimbursement and clinical research.
Medicaid: A joint federal-state program that provides health
coverage or nursing home coverage to certain categories of low-asset people, including
children, pregnant women, parents of eligible children, people with disabilities and elderly
needing nursing home care.
Medicare: A federal health insurance program for people who are
65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal
Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called
ESRD).
Member: Anyone covered under a health insurance plan, an
enrollee or eligible dependent.
Network Provider: East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. is
in-network with many insurance companies which serve as a major convenience to many of our
patients’. A Network Provider is healthcare provider who has a contractual relationship with
a health insurance company.
No-Fault (N/F): A health insurance plan that is designed to
promptly pay personal injury claims and lower potential litigation costs.
Out-of-network Care: Health care rendered to a patient outside
of the health insurance company’s network of preferred providers. In many cases, the health
insurance company will not pay for these services. At East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp.
a customer service representative will verify your insurance to determine if your insurance
is in-network or out-of-network.
Out-of-Pocket: Your expenses for medical care that aren’t
reimbursed by insurance. Out-of-pocket costs include deductibles, coinsurance, and
copayments for covered services plus all costs for services that aren’t covered.
Patient Product Agreement & Proof of Delivery (PPA) Form: An
agreement signed by patients of East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. as proof of delivery
for a brace, splint, support or other medical supplies.
Place of Service: The type of facility in which healthcare
services were provided to you by an East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. practitioner.
Pre-authorization: The process by which a patient is
pre-approved for coverage of a health care service, treatment plan or durable medical
equipment. Sometimes called prior authorization, prior approval or precertification.
Preauthorization isn’t a promise your health insurance or plan will cover the cost.
Prescription (RX): An instruction written by your doctor that
authorizes a provider like East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp. to provide you with
medical treatment.
Provider: A term commonly used by health insurance companies to
designate any healthcare provider.
Referral: The process through which a patient under a managed
care health insurance plan is authorized by his or her primary care physician to a see a
specialist for the diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition.
Rental: The amount someone pays you to use your property after
you subtract the expenses you have for the property.
Secondary Coverage: When a patient is covered under more than
one health insurance plan, this term describes the health insurance plan that provides
payment on claims after the primary coverage.
Third-Party Health Insurance: A health insurance plan offered
through an employer under a single health insurance contract for a group of employees.
Worker’s Compensation (W/C): A health insurance plan that
employers are required to have to cover employees who get sick or injured on the job.
