Question 1

EHR

Accepted Answer

Electronic Health Record – 
Shared digital patient record 
across healthcare providers.

Question 2

EMR

Accepted Answer

Electronic Medical Record – 
Digital chart used within 
one healthcare practice.

Question 3

PHR

Accepted Answer

Personal Health Record – 
Health record managed 
by the patient.

Question 4

PHI
&
ePHI

Accepted Answer

Protected Health Information – 
Individually identifiable 
health information.
Electronic Protected Health 
Information – PHI stored or 
transmitted electronically.

Question 5

DAR
(Documentation)

Accepted Answer

D = Data (assessment findings)
A = Action (interventions performed)
R = Response (patient outcome)

Question 6

HIPAA

Accepted Answer

Health Information Technology for 
Economic and Clinical Health Act – 
Encouraged EHR adoption.

Question 7

HIE

Accepted Answer

Health Information Exchange – 
Electronic sharing of patient 
health information.

Question 8

HIM

Accepted Answer

Health Information Management – 
Managing health records 
and information.

Question 9

HIT

Accepted Answer

Health Information Technology – 
Technology used to manage 
healthcare information.

Question 10

HL7

Accepted Answer

Health Level Seven – Standard 
for exchanging health information 
between healthcare systems.

Question 11

DICOM

Accepted Answer

Digital Imaging and Communications 
in Medicine – Standard for storing 
and sharing medical images.

Question 12

SNOMED CT

Accepted Answer

Clinical terminology used to 
document patient conditions.

Question 13

LOINC

Accepted Answer

Standard codes for laboratory 
tests and clinical observations.

Question 14

ICD-10-CM

Accepted Answer

Diagnosis coding system.

Question 15

CPT

Accepted Answer

Procedure and service 
coding system.

Question 16

HCPCS

Accepted Answer

Codes for supplies, equipment, 
ambulance services, and 
some medications.

Question 17

ASCII

Accepted Answer

American Standard Code for 
Information Interchange – 
Standard for computer 
text and characters.

Question 18

CPOE

Accepted Answer

Computerized Provider/Physician 
Order Entry – Electronic provider 
orders for medications, labs, and tests.

Question 19

CDSS

Accepted Answer

Clinical Decision Support System – 
Provides drug/med alerts, best-practice 
reminders, clinical guidelines, and 
evidence-based recommendations.

Question 20

ADT

Accepted Answer

Admission, Discharge, Transfer – 
Tracks patient movement 
through a facility.

Question 21

MPI

Accepted Answer

Master Patient Index – 
Unique record for each patient 
in a healthcare system.

Question 22

MRN

Accepted Answer

Medical Record Number – 
Unique identifier assigned 
to a patient.

Question 23

ROI

Accepted Answer

Release of Information – 
Authorization to disclose 
patient records.

Question 24

PACS

Accepted Answer

Picture Archiving and 
Communication System – 
Stores and retrieves 
medical images.

Question 25

RIS

Accepted Answer

Radiology Information System – 
Manages radiology scheduling, 
reporting, and imaging workflow.

Question 26

LIS

Accepted Answer

Laboratory Information System – 
Manages laboratory 
testing and results.

Question 27

PMS

Accepted Answer

Practice Management System – 
Manages scheduling, billing, 
insurance, and administrative tasks.

Question 28

CLIA

Accepted Answer

Clinical Laboratory Improvement 
Amendments – Federal standards 
for laboratory testing.

Question 29

CMS

Accepted Answer

Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services – Oversees 
Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Question 30

OCR

Accepted Answer

Office for Civil Rights – 
Enforces HIPAA Privacy 
and Security Rules.

Question 31

ABN

Accepted Answer

Advance Beneficiary Notice – 
Warns a Medicare patient that 
a service may not be covered.

Question 32

NPI

Accepted Answer

National Provider Identifier – 
Unique 10-digit number 
assigned to healthcare providers.

Question 33

EOB

Accepted Answer

Explanation of Benefits – 
Summary of how an insurance 
claim was processed.

Question 34

ERA

Accepted Answer

Electronic Remittance Advice – 
Electronic explanation of 
insurance payments.

Question 35

CMS-1500

Accepted Answer

Claim form used by physicians 
and other professional providers.

Question 36

UB-04

Accepted Answer

Claim form used by hospitals 
and other healthcare facilities.

Question 37

COB

Accepted Answer

Coordination of Benefits – 
Determines which i
nsurance pays first.

Question 38

NQMC

Accepted Answer

National Quality Measures 
Clearinghouse – Repository of 
healthcare quality measures.

Question 39

AOB

Accepted Answer

Assignment of Benefits – 
Patient authorizes insurance 
payments to be sent directly 
to the provider.

Question 40

NPP

Accepted Answer

Notice of Privacy Practices – 
HIPAA document explaining 
how a patient's PHI may 
be used and disclosed.

Question 41

LAN

Accepted Answer

Local Area Network –
Connects computers 
within one location 
(office, clinic, hospital).

Question 42

WAN

Accepted Answer

Wide Area Network – 
Connects multiple locations 
over large geographic areas.

Question 43

VPN

Accepted Answer

Virtual Private Network – 
Secure, encrypted connection 
to access a network remotely.

Question 44

CDISC

Accepted Answer

Clinical Data Interchange 
Standards Consortium – 
Develops standards for
clinical research data.

Question 45

NCPDP

Accepted Answer

National Council for Prescription 
Drug Programs – Develops 
standards for electronic
pharmacy transactions.

Question 46

CQMs

Accepted Answer

Clinical Quality Measures – 
Tools used to measure the 
quality and effectiveness 
of healthcare.

Question 47

CQM

Accepted Answer

Clinical Quality Measure – 
A single measure used to 
evaluate patient care quality.

Question 48

CAC

Accepted Answer

Computer-Assisted Coding – 
Software that helps coders 
assign medical codes more 
efficiently.

Question 49

MS-DRG

Accepted Answer

Medicare Severity-Diagnosis 
Related Group – Medicare
 inpatient hospital payment 
classification system.

Question 50

ONC

Accepted Answer

Office of the National Coordinator 
for Health Information Technology – 
Coordinates nationwide health
IT and EHR initiatives.

Question 51

OIG

Accepted Answer

Office of Inspector General – 
Investigates healthcare 
fraud, waste, and abuse.

Question 52

HIMSS

Accepted Answer

Healthcare Information and 
Management Systems Society – 
Organization promoting health
 information technology.

Question 53

NCQA

Accepted Answer

National Committee for Quality 
Assurance – Accredits health plans 
and measures healthcare quality.

Question 54

TJC

Accepted Answer

The Joint Commission – Accredits 
healthcare organizations 
and promotes patient safety.

Question 55

IOM

Accepted Answer

Institute of Medicine (now the 
National Academy of Medicine) – 
Improves healthcare quality 
and patient safety.

Question 56

E&M

Accepted Answer

Evaluation and Management – 
CPT codes used for office visits 
and other provider services.

Question 57

MIPS

Accepted Answer

Merit-based Incentive Payment System – 
CMS program that rewards or penalizes 
providers based on performance.

Question 58

TLS

Accepted Answer

Transport Layer Security – 
Encrypts data transmitted 
over a network.

Question 59

AHA

Accepted Answer

American Hospital Association – 
Organization representing hospitals 
and providing healthcare resources.

Question 60

TPO

Accepted Answer

Treatment, Payment, and Healthcare 
Operations – The three situations in 
which PHI may generally be used or 
disclosed without patient authorization.

Question 61

BAA

Accepted Answer

Business Associate Agreement -
written contract requiring a 
business associate to safeguard PHI 
and comply with HIPAA requirements.

Question 62

Authorization

Accepted Answer

A patient's written permission allowing 
the use or disclosure of PHI for purposes 
not otherwise permitted by HIPAA 
(such as marketing).

Question 63

When is authorization 
NOT required?

Accepted Answer

treatment, payment, healthcare 
operations (TPO), or when 
disclosure is required by law or 
for certain public health activities.

Question 64

HIPAA
Privacy Rule 
vs. 
Security Rule

Accepted Answer

Privacy Rule = Protects all PHI and 
governs its use and disclosure. 
Security Rule = Protects only ePHI 
through required security safeguards.

CEHRS STUDY GUIDE

2026 CEHRS STUDY GUIDE

Question	Answer
2026 CEHRS EXAM STUDY GUIDE
EHR	Electronic Health Record – Shared digital patient record across healthcare providers.
EMR	Electronic Medical Record – Digital chart used within one healthcare practice.
PHR	Personal Health Record – Health record managed by the patient.
PHI & ePHI	Protected Health Information – Individually identifiable health information. Electronic Protected Health Information – PHI stored or transmitted electronically.
DAR (Documentation)	D = Data (assessment findings) A = Action (interventions performed) R = Response (patient outcome)
HIPAA	Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act – Encouraged EHR adoption.
HIE	Health Information Exchange – Electronic sharing of patient health information.
HIM	Health Information Management – Managing health records and information.
HIT	Health Information Technology – Technology used to manage healthcare information.
HL7	Health Level Seven – Standard for exchanging health information between healthcare systems.
DICOM	Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine – Standard for storing and sharing medical images.
SNOMED CT	Clinical terminology used to document patient conditions.
LOINC	Standard codes for laboratory tests and clinical observations.
ICD-10-CM	Diagnosis coding system.
CPT	Procedure and service coding system.
HCPCS	Codes for supplies, equipment, ambulance services, and some medications.
ASCII	American Standard Code for Information Interchange – Standard for computer text and characters.
CPOE	Computerized Provider/Physician Order Entry – Electronic provider orders for medications, labs, and tests.
CDSS	Clinical Decision Support System – Provides drug/med alerts, best-practice reminders, clinical guidelines, and evidence-based recommendations.
ADT	Admission, Discharge, Transfer – Tracks patient movement through a facility.
MPI	Master Patient Index – Unique record for each patient in a healthcare system.
MRN	Medical Record Number – Unique identifier assigned to a patient.
ROI	Release of Information – Authorization to disclose patient records.
PACS	Picture Archiving and Communication System – Stores and retrieves medical images.
RIS	Radiology Information System – Manages radiology scheduling, reporting, and imaging workflow.
LIS	Laboratory Information System – Manages laboratory testing and results.
PMS	Practice Management System – Manages scheduling, billing, insurance, and administrative tasks.
CLIA	Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments – Federal standards for laboratory testing.
CMS	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – Oversees Medicare and Medicaid programs.
OCR	Office for Civil Rights – Enforces HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.
ABN	Advance Beneficiary Notice – Warns a Medicare patient that a service may not be covered.
NPI	National Provider Identifier – Unique 10-digit number assigned to healthcare providers.
EOB	Explanation of Benefits – Summary of how an insurance claim was processed.
ERA	Electronic Remittance Advice – Electronic explanation of insurance payments.
CMS-1500	Claim form used by physicians and other professional providers.
UB-04	Claim form used by hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
COB	Coordination of Benefits – Determines which i nsurance pays first.
NQMC	National Quality Measures Clearinghouse – Repository of healthcare quality measures.
AOB	Assignment of Benefits – Patient authorizes insurance payments to be sent directly to the provider.
NPP	Notice of Privacy Practices – HIPAA document explaining how a patient's PHI may be used and disclosed.
LAN	Local Area Network – Connects computers within one location (office, clinic, hospital).
WAN	Wide Area Network – Connects multiple locations over large geographic areas.
VPN	Virtual Private Network – Secure, encrypted connection to access a network remotely.
CDISC	Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium – Develops standards for clinical research data.
NCPDP	National Council for Prescription Drug Programs – Develops standards for electronic pharmacy transactions.
CQMs	Clinical Quality Measures – Tools used to measure the quality and effectiveness of healthcare.
CQM	Clinical Quality Measure – A single measure used to evaluate patient care quality.
CAC	Computer-Assisted Coding – Software that helps coders assign medical codes more efficiently.
MS-DRG	Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Group – Medicare inpatient hospital payment classification system.
ONC	Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology – Coordinates nationwide health IT and EHR initiatives.
OIG	Office of Inspector General – Investigates healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse.
HIMSS	Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society – Organization promoting health information technology.
NCQA	National Committee for Quality Assurance – Accredits health plans and measures healthcare quality.
TJC	The Joint Commission – Accredits healthcare organizations and promotes patient safety.
IOM	Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) – Improves healthcare quality and patient safety.
E&M	Evaluation and Management – CPT codes used for office visits and other provider services.
MIPS	Merit-based Incentive Payment System – CMS program that rewards or penalizes providers based on performance.
TLS	Transport Layer Security – Encrypts data transmitted over a network.
AHA	American Hospital Association – Organization representing hospitals and providing healthcare resources.
TPO	Treatment, Payment, and Healthcare Operations – The three situations in which PHI may generally be used or disclosed without patient authorization.
BAA	Business Associate Agreement - written contract requiring a business associate to safeguard PHI and comply with HIPAA requirements.
Authorization	A patient's written permission allowing the use or disclosure of PHI for purposes not otherwise permitted by HIPAA (such as marketing).
When is authorization NOT required?	treatment, payment, healthcare operations (TPO), or when disclosure is required by law or for certain public health activities.
HIPAA Privacy Rule vs. Security Rule	Privacy Rule = Protects all PHI and governs its use and disclosure. Security Rule = Protects only ePHI through required security safeguards.
Minimum Necessary Standard	Requires healthcare workers to access, use, or disclose only the minimum PHI needed to perform their job.
Incidental Disclosure	A limited, unavoidable disclosure of PHI that occurs despite reasonable safeguards and is permitted under HIPAA.
Example of an Incidental Disclosure	A patient overhears another patient's name being called in a waiting room while reasonable privacy safeguards are in place.
Patient Rights Under HIPAA	• Access and obtain copies of medical records • Request corrections (amendments) • Request an accounting of disclosures • Request restrictions on certain disclosures • Request confidential communications • Receive a Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) • File a privacy complaint
Business Associate	person or organization outside a covered entity that performs services involving PHI on behalf of the covered entity.
Examples of Business Associates	Billing companies, cloud storage providers, transcription services, IT vendors, consultants, attorneys, and claims processors.
REVENUE CYCLE! 1-4	1-Patient Registration Collect demographic and insurance information. 2-Insurance Verification Verify eligibility, benefits, and obtain any required preauthorization. 3-Patient Encounter The provider evaluates and treats the patient. 4-Documentation The provider documents the visit accurately in the medical record.
REVENUE CYCLE! 5-8	5-Medical Coding Assign diagnosis (ICD-10-CM) and procedure (CPT/HCPCS) codes. 6-Charge Entry Enter the coded services into the billing system. 7-Claim Submission Submit the insurance claim (CMS-1500 or UB-04, depending on the provider/facility). 8-Claims Adjudication The insurance company reviews and processes the claim.
REVENUE CYCLE! 9-11	9-Payment Posting Record insurance payments, patient payments, adjustments, and denials. 10-Patient Billing Bill the patient for any remaining balance (copay, deductible, coinsurance, or non-covered services). 11-Collections / Follow-Up Follow up on unpaid claims, appeal denials, or collect outstanding patient balances.
REVENUE CYCLE! 1 --> 11	Register → Verify → Treat → Document → Code → Charge → Submit → Adjudicate → Post Payment → Bill Patient → Collect
ROI Exceptions	• Treatment • Payment • Healthcare Operations (TPO) • Public health reporting • Required by law • Court orders (when applicable) • Law enforcement (certain situations)
Minimum Necessary Standard	Only access, use, or disclose the minimum PHI needed to perform your job.
PPE Donning Order PUTTING ON	Gown -> Mask/Respirator -> Goggles or Face Shield -> Gloves
PPE Donning Order TAKING OFF	Gloves -> Goggles/Face Shield -> Gown -> Mask/Respirator-> (ALPHABETICAL)
Standard vs. Transmission-Based Precautions	Standard = EVERY patient Transmission-Based = Specific contagious diseases
Contact vs. Droplet vs. Airborne	Contact = Touch (Gloves + Gown) Droplet = Cough/Sneeze (Mask) Airborne = Tiny particles (N95 + Negative-pressure room)
Medication Reconciliation	Prevent medication errors during transitions of care. Compare pt's current vs new meds
Critical Value vs. Sentinel Event	Critical Value = Dangerous lab result requiring immediate provider notification. Sentinel Event = Serious unexpected patient safety event requiring investigation.
MRN vs. MPI	MRN = One patient's unique record #. MPI = Database that tracks every patient and their MRN(s). **Tip: MRN = Number \| MPI = Index
EOB vs. ERA vs. EFT	EOB = Explanation (paper/patient) ERA = Electronic explanation (provider) EFT = Electronic payment (money)
PHI vs. ePHI vs. PII	PHI = Health information (any format) ePHI = Electronic health information PII = Personal identifying information (not necessarily medical)
HL7 vs. DICOM vs. SNOMED CT vs. LOINC	HL7 = Healthcare Language DICOM = Diagnostic Images SNOMED = Symptoms & Medical Terms LOINC = Laboratory Observations

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