Reference
Medical billing, in plain English.
21 terms billing teams use every day — 837P, 835 ERA, 270/271, A/R aging, denials, prior authorization and more — explained without jargon. Each entry stays short on the index and opens to a fuller plain-English definition with made-up examples, not real patient data. Jump by letter with the sticky bar, or scan the short lines to find the phrase you heard on a call. The same language shows up in MEDBIX demos and product copy, so the glossary doubles as a bridge between ops talk and the workbench. It isn't legal or payer advice; it's a shared vocabulary for operators. When you're ready to see the terms against sample claims, book a demo or browse the rest of the resources hub.
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C
CARC & RARC codes
Standard codes payers use to explain adjustments and denials.
Claim scrubbing
Checking a claim against rules before it's submitted.
Clean claim rate
The share of claims accepted on first submission without errors.
Clearinghouse
The intermediary that routes electronic claims and responses between providers and payers.
Credentialing
Verifying and enrolling providers with payers so they can bill them.
H
P
Patient responsibility
The part of a bill the patient owes after insurance.
Payment posting
Recording payments and adjustments against claims.
Prior authorization
Payer approval required before certain services are performed.
Protected health information (PHI)
Individually identifiable health information protected under U.S. HIPAA rules.
Reference
Billing language without the fog.
Eighteen core terms — from revenue cycle management to row-level security — defined for operators, not attorneys.
- A–Z sticky index
- Short and long definitions
- Links into related features
EDI
837, 835, 270/271 — what they actually do.
The transactions your clearinghouse carries, explained in the order a claim moves money.
- Eligibility inquiry and response
- Professional and institutional claims
- Electronic remittance advice
Ops
Scrubbing, denials and aging in plain English.
The floor vocabulary that shows up in every standup — tied back to MEDBIX features when useful.
- Claim scrubbing
- Denial management
- A/R aging
Trust
Tenancy and row-level security, demystified.
Why multi-practice isolation matters when your clients ask who else can see their data.
- Tenant = billing company
- RLS in PostgreSQL
- Audit for approvals
Common questions
Is MEDBIX an EHR?
No. MEDBIX is a revenue cycle and medical billing platform. It can take in billing-relevant data from EHRs, but it doesn't do clinical charting, prescriptions or labs.
Does the AI submit claims automatically?
No. AI agents suggest codes, explain scrub findings and propose denial fixes. A person on your team has to review and approve every claim before it goes to the clearinghouse.
Who can see our data?
Your billing company is the tenant. Practices under you are separated by permissions, and other billing companies can't see your data at all, because PostgreSQL row-level security enforces it.
Can a solo practice use it?
Yes. A solo practice onboards as its own tenant, with the provider or office manager as the tenant admin.
Which clearinghouse do you use?
Stedi, a modern JSON clearinghouse API, for eligibility (270/271), claims (837) and remittance (835).
Want to walk MEDBIX against your real claim mix?
Thirty minutes with sample data. We'll follow one claim through the gate, then talk about your payers, practices and where the rework hurts today.
Notes from the billing floor
Occasional, practical writing on denials, A/R and running a billing company. No spam, unsubscribe any time.