C - Definitions

  • C

    Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO)

    A Chief Medical Information Officer, or CMIO, essentially serves as the bridge between medical and IT departments at a healthcare organization.

  • clinical decision support system (CDSS)

    A clinical decision support system (CDSS) is an application that analyzes data to help healthcare providers make decisions and improve patient care.

  • clinical documentation

    Clinical documentation (CD) is the creation of a digital or analog record detailing a medical treatment, medical trial or clinical test.

  • Continuity of Care Document (CCD)

    A Continuity of Care Document (CCD) is an electronic, patient-specific document detailing a patient's medical history.

  • Continuity of Care Record (CCR)

    The Continuity of Care Record, or CCR, provides a standardized way to create electronic snapshots about a patient's health information.

  • What is a clinical trial?

    Clinical trials, also known as clinical research studies, are carefully designed investigations involving volunteer human participants to evaluate the safety, efficacy and outcomes of medical or surgical interventions.

  • What is a computer-assisted coding system (CACS)?

    A computer-assisted coding system (CACS) is software that analyzes healthcare documents and automatically produces appropriate medical codes, like the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), ICD-10-CM and the American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) for specific phrases and terms within the document.

  • What is Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)?

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • What is Cerner Corp.?

    Cerner Corp., now known as Oracle Health following its 2022 acquisition by Oracle, is a prominent health IT company based in North Kansas City, Missouri.

  • What is Change Healthcare?

    Change Healthcare is a healthcare technology provider specializing in revenue cycle management, payment management and health information exchange solutions.

  • What is Clinical Document Architecture (CDA)?

    Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) is a popular, flexible markup standard developed by Health Level Seven International (HL7). CDA defines the structure of certain medical records, such as discharge summaries and progress notes, as a way to better exchange this information between providers and patients.

  • What is clinical informatics?

    Clinical informatics is a specialized field of study in healthcare that focuses on using information technology and data analytics to improve patient care and administrative workflows in clinical settings.

  • What is computerized physician order entry (CPOE)?

    Computerized physician order entry (CPOE), also known as computerized provider order entry or computerized practitioner order entry, refers to the process of a medical professional using a computer application to electronically enter and send medication orders.

  • What is Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code?

    Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) is a medical code set that enables physicians and other healthcare providers to describe and report the medical, surgical, and diagnostic procedures and services they perform to government and private payers, researchers and other interested parties.

  • What is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)?

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the United States' national public health agency.