Skip to main content
Glossary of Terms

Common terms and their meanings within Caresmartz360

K
Written by Kate Lewis
Updated over 3 years ago

Term

Definition

Aggregator

Many states utilize a system to take in data from all EVV systems and apply standard business rules to ensure visits are properly verified.

ALP

Assisted Living Program, one of the common admission types

Applicant

Prospective caregivers who have applied for a job with your agency.

Assessment

Evaluation of a client's needs, care goals, service requirements

Care Log

Details of a shift that is complete

Care Plan

A care plan often results from the assessment. It focuses on client needs, expected outcomes and helps to standardize the level of care.

Caregiver

An employee or independent contractor engaged to care for your clients as you direct

Clearing House

Facilitates the payments for Medicaid or other services. It exists between two entities (often the state payer and the agency) to centralize and standardize all of the steps leading up to payment. Common Clearinghouses are Availity, Change Health Care

Client

The person or facility to whom your agency provides care services

CNA

Certified Nursing Assistant. In the United States, certified nursing assistants typically work in a nursing home or hospital and perform everyday living tasks for the elderly, chronically sick, or rehabilitation patients who cannot care for themselves. CNA certification requirements vary by state.

Companion Care

Companion care is a form of home care offering non-medical services to older adults or people with disabilities. The goal of companion care is primarily emotional support and socialization, although companions may help older adults with a variety of tasks including:

  • Light housekeeping

  • Other household chores such as washing clothes and dishes

  • Running errands such as grocery shopping

  • Planning and scheduling appointments and social activities

  • Transportation to appointments and other activities

  • Preparing meals

  • Socialization and entertainment

CRM

Customer Relationship Management - a feature of Caresmartz360 that helps you track your interactions with leads, prospective clients and clients

EIN

Employee Identification Number, also Federal Tax ID

EVV

Electronic visit verification is a method used to verify home healthcare visits to ensure patients are not neglected and to cut down on fraudulently documented home visits. Beginning January 1, 2020, home care agencies that provide personal care services must have an EVV solution in place or risk having their Medicaid claims denied, under a mandate included in the 21st Century Cures Act.

There are six verification criteria of EVV to meet:

1 Service type.

2 Individual receiving the service.

3 Date of service.

4 Location of service delivery.

5 Individual providing the service.

6 Begin and end times of service.

HHA

A home health aide (HHA) provides in-home care for patients who need assistance with daily living beyond what family or friends can provide.

IHC

In-Home Care, one of the common admission types

LMS

Learning Management System - a feature of Caresmartz360

LPN/LVN

A licensed practical nurse (LPN) in much of the United States and most Canadian provinces is a nurse who cares for people who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled. LPNs work under the direction of registered nurses or physicians. Another title provided is "registered practical nurse" (RPN) in the Canadian province of Ontario. In California and Texas, such a nurse is referred to as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN).

MA

A medical assistant, also known as a "clinical assistant" or healthcare assistant in the USAis an allied health professional who supports the work of physicians, physician assistants and other health professionals, usually in a clinic setting. Medical assistants can become certified through an accredited program.Medical assistants perform routine tasks and procedures in a medical clinic. Not to be confused with physician assistant.

Master Schedule

A schedule template that can be used to build editable, repeatable schedules to be released at the discretion of the agency

MCO

Managed Care Organization

NPI

National Provider Identifier, is a 10-digit numeric identifier

Payer

The party responsible for paying the invoice, be it the client, a family member, a company, an organization or a community

Prospective Client

An individual in need of care who has not yet selected your agency as their provider

PSW

Personal support worker (PSW) is the title for a similar type of health worker (HHA) in Canada. Personal support work is unique among health care professions in that the scope of a PSW's duties does not extend beyond what the client could do him/herself if the client were physically and cognitively able. No other profession's scope is similarly described.

Recurrence

A pattern of repeating schedules in which all aspects of the shift are the same

RN

A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to obtain a nursing license.

Schedule

A calendar of shifts for a client or caregiver

SMS

Short Message Service or text messaging, often limited to 160 alpha-numeric characters

SOC

Standard of Care

STNA

STNA stands for State Tested Nursing Assistant. The term is used only in the State of Ohio. Elsewhere nursing assistants are referred to differently: some are called a CNA or Certified Nurse Aide, an LNA or Licensed Nursing Assistant, or simply a NA or Nursing Aide.

Visit

A completed shift with a client and caregiver

Did this answer your question?