Jump to: Credentials · Health care organizations · Government & programs · Laws & rules · Equipment & services · AI & data
Credentials
- AIGP — Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional
- A certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) showing training in how organizations should oversee and manage AI responsibly.
- ATP/SMS — Assistive Technology Professional / Seating and Mobility Specialist
- RESNA certifications for professionals who evaluate people for, and fit them with, assistive technology such as power wheelchairs and custom seating.
- CLE — Continuing legal education
- Courses lawyers take to keep their licenses current.
- IAPP — International Association of Privacy Professionals
- A global membership and certification body for people who work in privacy and AI governance.
- NBCOT — National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
- The national organization that runs the certification exam for occupational therapy and grants the OTR credential.
- OT — Occupational therapy
- Health care that helps people do the everyday activities they need and want to do — dressing, working, cooking, getting around — after illness, injury, or disability.
- OTR — Occupational Therapist, Registered
- A national certification from NBCOT showing someone passed the national exam for occupational therapists. It is not a state license; each state licenses separately.
- PT — Physical therapy
- Health care focused on movement, strength, and physical function.
- RESNA — Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
- A professional society that certifies assistive technology specialists, including the ATP and SMS credentials.
- SLP — Speech-language pathology
- Health care for communication, speech, and swallowing.
Health care organizations
- AHEC — Area Health Education Center (also written AHECs)
- Regional centers that train and support the health care workforce, especially in underserved areas.
- CAH — Critical Access Hospital (also written CAHs)
- A small rural hospital (25 beds or fewer) with a special Medicare designation that helps it stay open in places far from other hospitals.
- DSS — Department of Social Services
- Your county office that handles Medicaid, SNAP, and other benefit applications and renewals.
- FQHC — Federally Qualified Health Center
- A community health center that receives federal support to serve everyone regardless of ability to pay, often in rural or low-income areas.
- HCCN — Health Center Controlled Network (also written HCCNs)
- A group of health centers that share technology, data, and support services.
- LME/MCO — Local Management Entity / Managed Care Organization
- North Carolina organizations that manage Medicaid behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability services.
- PCA — Primary Care Association
- A state organization that supports community health centers.
- PHP — Prepaid Health Plan
- In North Carolina, a Medicaid managed care health plan that is paid a set amount per member to cover their care.
- RHC — Rural Health Clinic
- A clinic in a rural, underserved area with a special Medicare and Medicaid payment designation.
Government & programs
- CAP/C — Community Alternatives Program for Children (also written CAP/DA)
- An NC Medicaid waiver that helps medically fragile children receive care at home.
- CMS — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- The federal agency that runs Medicare and oversees Medicaid.
- CRA — Congressional Review Act
- A law that lets Congress vote to overturn a federal agency's rule.
- DHB — Division of Health Benefits
- The part of NCDHHS that runs NC Medicaid.
- EBT — Electronic Benefits Transfer
- The debit-style card used to receive SNAP benefits.
- FDA — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- The federal agency that regulates medical devices, drugs, and some health software.
- GAO — Government Accountability Office
- The nonpartisan federal agency that audits government programs for Congress.
- GDAC — Government Data Analytics Center
- North Carolina's state data-analytics office, which runs analytics and fraud-detection tools across state programs.
- HHS — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- The federal department that includes CMS, the FDA, and other health agencies.
- ICAM — Identity, Credential, and Access Management
- The rules and systems that confirm who you are when you log in to a state system.
- IFR — Interim Final Rule
- A federal rule that takes effect before the public comment period ends.
- IHS — Indian Health Service
- The federal agency that provides health care to American Indian and Alaska Native people.
- JLOC — Joint Legislative Oversight Committee
- A North Carolina legislative committee that receives reports from state agencies.
- MAC — Medicare Administrative Contractor
- A private company that processes Medicare claims for a region.
- NC FAST — North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology
- The state computer system counties use to handle Medicaid, SNAP, and other benefit cases.
- NCDHHS — North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (also written DHHS)
- The state agency that runs NC Medicaid and many health and benefit programs.
- ONC — Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (also written ASTP)
- The federal office (now called ASTP/ONC) that sets rules for certified electronic health record software.
- RHTP — Rural Health Transformation Program
- A federal program created in 2025 that sends funding to states to strengthen rural health care.
- SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also written FNS)
- Federal food assistance, called Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) in North Carolina, paid on an EBT card.
- SSDI — Social Security Disability Insurance
- Monthly Social Security payments for people who worked and paid into Social Security and now have a disability.
- SSI — Supplemental Security Income
- A monthly Social Security payment for people with low income who are older, blind, or disabled.
- TANF — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Federal cash assistance for families; called Work First in North Carolina.
- TBI — Traumatic Brain Injury
- A brain injury from an outside force. In NC Medicaid, the TBI waiver funds home and community services for people with these injuries.
- WISeR — Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model
- A Medicare pilot that began January 1, 2026 in six states, using technology companies (including AI tools) to review prior authorization requests for certain services.
Laws & rules
- BAA — Business Associate Agreement
- A contract HIPAA requires when an outside company handles protected health information for a health care provider.
- BIPA — Biometric Information Privacy Act
- An Illinois law protecting fingerprints, face scans, and other biometric data.
- DSI — Decision Support Intervention
- Software, including AI, that gives clinicians recommendations inside a health record system.
- DUA — Data Use Agreement
- A contract that sets rules for how shared data may be used.
- G.S. — General Statutes
- North Carolina's official collection of state laws.
- HIPAA — Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
- The federal law that protects the privacy and security of health information.
- HTI-5 — Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability rule (fifth)
- A federal rule proposed in December 2025 that would change the requirements for certified health record software, including AI transparency rules.
- NPP — Notice of Privacy Practices
- The notice health care providers must give patients explaining how their health information is used.
- P.L. — Public Law
- A federal law passed by Congress and signed by the President (for example, P.L. 119-21).
- PHI — Protected health information
- Health information that identifies a person and is protected by HIPAA.
- S.L. — Session Law
- A North Carolina law as enacted by the General Assembly (for example, S.L. 2026-41).
- UPL — Unauthorized practice of law
- Giving legal advice without a law license. 5Q works alongside lawyers and does not give legal advice.
- WOPR — Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act
- An Illinois law (2025) limiting how AI can be used in therapy and mental health services.
Equipment & services
- ADL — Activities of daily living (also written ADLs)
- Basic self-care tasks — bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, moving around. Limits in these are central to the Medicaid medical-frailty exemption.
- CRT — Complex Rehab Technology
- Individually configured wheelchairs, seating, and related equipment for people with significant disabilities.
- DME — Durable Medical Equipment
- Medical equipment used at home over time, such as wheelchairs, walkers, and hospital beds.
- DMEPOS — Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies
- The Medicare category that covers home medical equipment and the suppliers who provide it.
- FFS — Fee-for-service
- A payment method where a provider is paid a set amount for each service.
- O&P — Orthotics and prosthetics
- Braces (orthotics) and artificial limbs (prosthetics).
AI & data
- AI — Artificial intelligence
- Computer systems that make predictions, recommendations, or decisions from data — for example, flagging a claim for denial or drafting a clinical note.
- CHAI — Coalition for Health AI
- A nonprofit coalition that publishes health AI governance guidance and playbooks.
- EHR — Electronic health record
- The digital patient chart.
- ISO/IEC 42001 — International standard for AI management systems
- A certifiable international standard for how an organization manages AI responsibly.
- IT — Information technology
- Computers, networks, and the people who support them.
- MFA — Multifactor authentication
- Logging in with two or more checks, such as a password plus a code on your phone.
- NIST — National Institute of Standards and Technology (also written AI RMF)
- The federal agency that publishes the AI Risk Management Framework, a widely used voluntary guide for managing AI risk.
- RUAIH — Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare
- Joint Commission's voluntary certification (launched June 2026) for how health care organizations govern AI.
Missing a term, or is a definition unclear? Tell us at contact@5qhealth.ai. Definitions are simplified for everyday reading; official definitions in statutes and regulations control. Last updated September 27, 2026.