> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.conversive.ai/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.conversive.ai/_mcp/server. # Appendix: Glossary > About 200 Indian healthcare terms, grouped by topic in quick-reference tables. # This Glossary defines the terms used in Indian hospitals, health IT, insurance, and regulation, grouped by topic and sorted alphabetically within each table. Definitions are written for this Information; check official sources for legal or regulatory wording. ## Care and hospital operations | Term | Full form | Meaning | | ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ADT | Admission, Discharge, Transfer | Workflow tracking a patient's admission, movement between wards, and discharge | | Bed-blocking | — | A medically fit patient occupying a bed because billing, insurance, or discharge paperwork is not ready | | Casualty | — | Common Indian name for the Emergency department | | CCU | Coronary/Cardiac Care Unit | ICU for heart patients | | CHC | Community Health Centre | Public secondary-care facility serving a block, above PHCs | | Chronic care | — | Ongoing management of long-term conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or kidney disease | | Cosmetic / aesthetic procedure | — | Procedure chosen for appearance rather than medical need; generally not covered by insurance | | CSSD | Central Sterile Supply Department | Sterilizes reusable surgical instruments | | DAMA / LAMA | Discharge / Leave Against Medical Advice | Patient leaving the hospital despite medical advice to stay, recorded with a signed form | | Day care procedure | — | Procedure under anaesthesia with discharge within 24 hours; insurers cover a defined list | | Discharge summary | — | Document summarizing an inpatient stay: diagnosis, treatment, medicines, and follow-up | | DOA | Dead on Arrival | Patient found dead on reaching the hospital | | Elective procedure | — | Planned procedure for a real medical need whose timing is flexible; not the same as optional or cosmetic | | ER / ED | Emergency Room / Emergency Department | 24-hour unit for urgent and life-threatening cases | | Footfall | — | Number of patients visiting a hospital or OPD in a period | | HDU | High Dependency Unit | Step-down unit between the ICU and a general ward | | ICU | Intensive Care Unit | Unit for the sickest patients, with continuous monitoring | | IPD | Inpatient Department | Care for patients admitted to a bed overnight or longer | | MICU / SICU | Medical / Surgical ICU | ICUs for medical or post-surgical patients | | MLC | Medico-Legal Case | Case with legal implications (accident, assault, poisoning) that must be reported to the police | | MRD | Medical Records Department | Stores patient records and handles ICD coding | | NICU | Neonatal Intensive Care Unit | ICU for newborns, especially premature babies | | OPD | Outpatient Department | Same-day consultations without admission | | OT | Operation Theatre | Room or suite where surgery is performed | | Palliative care | — | Comfort-focused care for serious illness, aimed at quality of life rather than cure | | PHC | Primary Health Centre | Public primary-care facility, usually rural | | PICU | Paediatric Intensive Care Unit | ICU for children | | Planned / unplanned admission | — | Admission scheduled in advance versus one arriving through Emergency | | Preventive care | — | Preventing illness or catching it early through vaccination, screening, and check-ups | | Primary / secondary / tertiary / quaternary care | — | Levels of care from first contact (GP) to specialist, super-specialty, and rare or experimental care | | Rounds | — | Scheduled visits by doctors or nurses to review inpatients | | Sub-centre | — | Smallest public health facility, run by ANMs and health workers | | Triage | — | Sorting patients by severity so the sickest are seen first | | Ward | — | Inpatient area; may be general, semi-private, private, or suite | ## Clinical and prescription abbreviations | Term | Full form | Meaning | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ABG | Arterial Blood Gas | Blood test measuring oxygen, carbon dioxide, and acidity | | ADR | Adverse Drug Reaction | Harmful, unintended response to a medicine | | BD | Bis in die | Twice a day | | BP | Blood Pressure | Pressure of blood in the arteries | | CBC | Complete Blood Count | Basic blood test of red cells, white cells, and platelets | | C/O | Complaining of | Prefix for the patient's reported symptoms | | CT | Computed Tomography | Cross-sectional X-ray imaging | | Dx | Diagnosis | The identified condition | | ECG / EKG | Electrocardiogram | Recording of the heart's electrical activity | | Echo | Echocardiogram | Ultrasound of the heart | | HbA1c | Glycated haemoglobin | Blood test of average blood sugar over about three months | | HR | Heart Rate | Heartbeats per minute | | HS | Hora somni | At bedtime | | Hx | History | Patient's medical history | | IM / IV / SC | Intramuscular / Intravenous / Subcutaneous | Routes of injection | | KFT / RFT | Kidney / Renal Function Test | Blood tests of kidney function | | LFT | Liver Function Test | Blood tests of liver function | | MRI | Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Imaging using magnetic fields, without radiation | | NPO | Nil per os | Nothing by mouth, usually before surgery | | OD | Omne in die | Once a day | | PO | Per os | By mouth | | PRN / SOS | Pro re nata / if needed | Take only when required | | QID | Quater in die | Four times a day | | Rx | Prescription | Treatment or medicine prescribed | | SOAP | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan | Standard structure for clinical notes | | SpO2 | Peripheral oxygen saturation | Blood oxygen level measured by a pulse oximeter | | STAT | Statim | Immediately | | TDS / TID | Ter die sumendum / ter in die | Three times a day | | USG | Ultrasonography | Ultrasound imaging | | Vitals | — | Core measurements: temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation | ## Roles, degrees, and qualifications | Term | Full form | Meaning | | ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ANM | Auxiliary Nurse Midwife | Community health nurse, often staffing sub-centres | | ASHA | Accredited Social Health Activist | Village-level community health worker under the National Health Mission | | AYUSH | Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Homoeopathy | India's traditional systems of medicine, with their own ministry | | BAMS / BHMS | Bachelor of Ayurvedic / Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery | Undergraduate degrees in Ayurveda and Homoeopathy | | BDS / MDS | Bachelor / Master of Dental Surgery | Undergraduate and postgraduate dental degrees | | B.Sc Nursing / M.Sc Nursing | — | Four-year nursing degree / postgraduate nursing degree | | CEO / COO / CFO / CIO | Chief Executive / Operating / Financial / Information Officer | Senior executives running the hospital, operations, finance, and IT | | CMO | Chief Medical Officer | Senior medical administrator; also a government post | | Consultant | — | Fully qualified specialist doctor; Senior and Associate grades exist | | DM / MCh | Doctorate of Medicine / Magister Chirurgiae | Super-specialty degrees in medicine (e.g. cardiology) and surgery (e.g. neurosurgery) | | DNB | Diplomate of National Board | Postgraduate medical qualification from the National Board of Examinations, equivalent to MD/MS | | GNM | General Nursing and Midwifery | 3.5-year nursing diploma | | HOD | Head of Department | Clinical head of a specialty department | | Intensivist | — | Doctor specialized in running the ICU | | JR / SR | Junior / Senior Resident | Doctors in training who handle rounds and on-call duty | | MBBS | Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery | Basic medical degree qualifying a doctor to practise | | MD / MS (degree) | Doctor of Medicine / Master of Surgery | Postgraduate specialist degrees in medical and surgical fields | | MD (role) | Medical Director | Head of the clinical arm of a hospital (context distinguishes it from the degree) | | MS (role) | Medical Superintendent | Head of a hospital, especially in government and teaching hospitals | | MSW | Medical Social Worker | Supports patients and families, including discharge planning | | Nursing Superintendent | — | Head of nursing across the hospital | | PRO | Public Relations Officer / Patient Relations | Handles patient relations, feedback, and the hospital's public image | | RMO | Resident Medical Officer | Doctor on duty in wards and emergencies, often round the clock | | TPA coordinator | — | Hospital staff member who manages insurance pre-authorizations and claims | | Visiting / Honorary Consultant | — | Specialist who practises at the hospital on a consulting basis rather than full-time | ## Hospital software and health IT | Term | Full form | Meaning | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | AMC | Annual Maintenance Contract | Yearly support and update fee, typically 15–20% of a perpetual licence | | API | Application Programming Interface | Way for software systems to exchange data | | CDSS | Clinical Decision Support System | Software that gives clinicians alerts and recommendations | | CPOE | Computerized Physician Order Entry | Doctors placing lab, radiology, and medication orders electronically | | DICOM | Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine | Standard format for storing and sharing medical images | | EHR | Electronic Health Record | Health record designed to be shared across providers | | EMR | Electronic Medical Record | Digital patient chart within one provider | | e-Prescription | — | Electronically generated prescription, often with interaction alerts | | EQAS | External Quality Assessment Scheme | External proficiency testing for labs, required for NABL | | FHIR | Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources | Modern HL7 standard for exchanging health data; used by ABDM | | HIMS / HMIS | Hospital (Management) Information System | Core operational software running every hospital department | | HL7 | Health Level Seven | Family of standards for exchanging clinical data between systems | | ICD-10 / ICD-11 | International Classification of Diseases | WHO's coding system for diagnoses | | Instrument interfacing | — | Direct connection between lab analysers and the LIMS | | LIS / LIMS | Laboratory Information (Management) System | Software running lab workflow, results, and quality control | | MAR | Medication Administration Record | Record of every dose given to an inpatient | | MIS | Management Information System | Reports and dashboards for management | | PACS | Picture Archiving and Communication System | Stores and shares medical images | | PHR | Personal Health Record | Health records held and managed by the patient | | RCM | Revenue Cycle Management | Process and software covering billing, claims, and collections | | RIS | Radiology Information System | Schedules and manages radiology workflow and reports | | SaaS | Software as a Service | Subscription software hosted by the vendor | | SNOMED CT | Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms | Clinical terminology standard; India is a member and uses it in ABDM | | TAT | Turnaround Time | Time from order or sample to result | | WABA | WhatsApp Business API | Meta's platform for business messaging on WhatsApp | ## Insurance, billing, and revenue cycle | Term | Full form | Meaning | | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | AR days | Accounts Receivable days | Average days to collect money owed, e.g. from insurers | | Cashless claim | — | Insurer or TPA pays the hospital directly; patient pays nothing upfront for covered costs | | Claim settlement | — | Final payment of a claim by the insurer or TPA | | Co-payment (co-pay) | — | Fixed share of each claim the policyholder must pay | | Deductible | — | Amount the policyholder pays before insurance starts paying | | Deduction | — | Part of a hospital bill the insurer refuses to pay, such as non-medical items | | Empanelment | — | Formal listing of a hospital with an insurer, TPA, or government scheme | | Enhancement | — | Request to the insurer to raise an approved pre-authorization amount during a stay | | Final bill | — | Complete hospital bill raised at discharge | | Interim bill | — | Running bill issued during a long stay | | IRDAI | Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India | Regulator of insurers and TPAs | | Network hospital | — | Hospital with a cashless agreement with an insurer or TPA | | Non-payables | — | Consumables and items insurers usually exclude, such as gloves or registration fees | | Package rate | — | Fixed price for a defined procedure, used by PM-JAY and many insurers | | PED | Pre-Existing Disease | Condition present before the policy began, usually covered after a waiting period | | Policyholder | — | Person who owns the insurance policy | | Pre-authorization (pre-auth) | — | Insurer or TPA approval required before cashless treatment | | Reimbursement claim | — | Patient pays first, then claims the cost back from the insurer | | Rejection / repudiation | — | Insurer's refusal to pay a claim | | Room-rent capping | — | Policy limit on daily room charges; exceeding it can reduce the whole claim proportionately | | Sub-limit | — | Cap on payment for a specific treatment or expense within the total cover | | Sum insured | — | Maximum amount the policy pays in a policy year | | Top-up / super top-up | — | Extra cover that pays after a deductible or base policy is exhausted | | TPA | Third Party Administrator | Company that processes claims for insurers | | Waiting period | — | Time after buying a policy before certain conditions are covered | ## Regulators, laws, accreditation, and government schemes | Term | Full form | Meaning | | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | AERB | Atomic Energy Regulatory Board | Licenses radiation equipment such as X-ray and CT machines | | Ayushman Arogya Mandir | — | New name for Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, upgraded primary-care centres | | BMW Rules | Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 | Rules for segregating and disposing of hospital waste | | CDSCO | Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation | National regulator for drugs and medical devices | | CEA | Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 | Law requiring registration of clinical establishments; adopted state by state | | CGHS | Central Government Health Scheme | Health scheme for central government employees and pensioners | | Cut practice | — | Illegal payment to a doctor for referring a patient | | DCI | Dental Council of India | Regulator of dental education and practice | | DPDP Act | Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 | India's data privacy law; requires consent to process personal data | | DLT | Distributed Ledger Technology (TRAI) | Mandatory registration of SMS senders and templates | | DND / NCPR | Do Not Disturb / National Customer Preference Register | TRAI registry blocking unwanted commercial messages | | ECHS | Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme | Health scheme for retired armed forces personnel | | e-Sanjeevani | — | Government telemedicine platform | | ESIC | Employees' State Insurance Corporation | Social insurance for lower-wage employees, with its own hospitals | | GeM | Government e-Marketplace | Online portal for government procurement | | INC | Indian Nursing Council | Regulator of nursing education | | JCI | Joint Commission International | International hospital accreditation held by some Indian hospitals | | L1 | Lowest bidder | Government tender rule awarding contracts to the lowest price | | MTP Act | Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 | Law governing abortion | | NABH | National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers | Quality accreditation for hospitals | | NABL | National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories | Accreditation for laboratories | | NHA | National Health Authority | Agency implementing PM-JAY and ABDM | | NHM | National Health Mission | Government programme funding public health services | | NMC | National Medical Commission | Regulator of medical education and doctor licensing; replaced the MCI | | NQAS | National Quality Assurance Standards | Quality standards for public health facilities | | PCI | Pharmacy Council of India | Regulator of pharmacy education and practice | | PCPNDT Act | Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 | Bans sex determination; regulates ultrasound centres | | PM-JAY | Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana | Government health insurance scheme under Ayushman Bharat | | PPP | Public-Private Partnership | Government infrastructure run by a private operator under contract | | THOA | Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 | Law regulating organ donation and transplants | | TRAI | Telecom Regulatory Authority of India | Telecom regulator, including commercial SMS rules | ## ABDM and digital health | Term | Full form | Meaning | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ABDM | Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission | India's national digital health infrastructure | | ABHA address | — | Human-readable health ID handle (username\@abdm) linked to the ABHA number | | ABHA number | Ayushman Bharat Health Account | 14-digit health ID created voluntarily with the patient's consent | | Consent artefact | — | Record of exactly what health data a patient agreed to share, with whom, and for how long | | DHIS | Digital Health Incentive Scheme | Financial incentives for facilities and vendors creating ABHA-linked records | | HFR | Health Facility Registry | ABDM register of health facilities | | HIE-CM | Health Information Exchange & Consent Manager | ABDM gateway that routes data requests and manages consent | | HIP | Health Information Provider | Facility where a health record originates | | HIU | Health Information User | Entity requesting to view a record | | HPR | Healthcare Professionals Registry | ABDM register of doctors and health professionals | | Milestones (M1–M3) | — | Stages of ABDM integration: ABHA creation and verification, record sharing as HIP, and record access as HIU | | NRCeS | National Resource Centre for EHR Standards | C-DAC centre publishing India's FHIR profiles for ABDM | | PHR app | Personal Health Record app | Patient app for viewing and sharing ABHA-linked records | | Sandbox | — | ABDM test environment where software is integrated before production use | | Scan and Share | — | QR-code OPD registration using ABHA, giving a digital queue token | | TSP | Technology Service Provider | Software vendor integrating facilities with ABDM | | UHI | Unified Health Interface | Open network for discovering and booking health services across apps | ## Metrics and KPIs | Term | Full form | Meaning | | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ALOS | Average Length of Stay | Average days per inpatient admission | | ARPOB | Average Revenue Per Occupied Bed | Revenue per occupied bed per day; headline profitability metric for chains | | ARPP | Average Revenue Per Patient | Revenue per patient, often tracked separately for OPD and IPD | | Bed occupancy rate | — | Percentage of available beds filled in a period | | Bed turnover ratio | — | Number of patients using one bed in a period | | Bed turnover interval | — | Average time a bed stays empty between patients | | CSAT | Customer Satisfaction score | Patient rating of satisfaction with a visit or stay | | Discharge TAT | Discharge Turnaround Time | Time from discharge decision to the patient leaving | | EBITDA | Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization | Operating profit measure used by investors | | HAI rate | Healthcare-Associated Infection rate | Infections acquired in hospital per patients or patient-days | | Mortality rate | — | Deaths as a share of admissions, often by unit or procedure | | No-show rate | — | Share of booked appointments the patient misses | | NPS | Net Promoter Score | Measure of patients' likelihood to recommend the hospital | | OPD-to-IPD conversion | — | Share of outpatients who are later admitted | | OT utilization | Operation Theatre utilization | Share of available theatre time used for surgery | | Payer mix | — | Split of revenue across cash, private insurance, and government schemes | | Readmission rate | — | Share of discharged patients readmitted within a set window, often 30 days | | Wait time | — | Time a patient waits before consultation or service |